New Paltz, NY -- After dropping the last three State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matches, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team will look to secure two crucial victories as it welcomes SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State Oct. 18 and Oct. 19 to the Hawk Center for the final two SUNYAC contests. 

"This weekend is very pivotal, extremely," said Hawks sophomore Nicole Cooke. "We have never lost to these teams and they are both below us in the conference, so these two conference wins are very important." 

SUNY New Paltz stands at 8-10 on the year and 3-4 in conference play thus far. The Hawks currently sit in sixth place in the conference standings and will need to secure two wins in order to have a good chance of earning a spot in the SUNYAC championship tournament. 

"The reality is the two matches we have this weekend is our season,'' said SUNY New Paltz coach Matt Giufre. "We need to win both to have a chance to play in the postseason. If we don't then it's highly unlikely we will make it. It's not necessarily where we wanted to be right now, but all it takes is two wins to get us in the right direction. This season has been a grind full of challenges and I give a ton of credit to our team for how they've handled it. It's made us closer and stronger where lesser character teams may have splintered apart by now. If we are going to be in this do or die position I wouldn't want it to be with anyone else. It's really a special group."

Senior Nicole Fellone paces the Hawks with 281 digs and 37 service aces. Senior Maddie Van Pelt holds a team-high of 199 kills thus far and is only 18 digs away from reaching 1,000 kills of her collegiate career. Junior Haley Timarky has tallied 589 assists while junior Demi Herasme has marked 46 blocks. 

The Bears, who are 8-11 overall and 2-3 in the conference, will make the trip to town first. SUNY Potsdam most recently collected a tight 3-2 loss from Oswego State, whereas SUNY New Paltz defeated the Lakers back on Oct. 4, 3-1. Prior to that matchup, the Bears handed SUNY Cortland its first conference loss in a 3-2 game after falling short in the second and third sets. On the other hand, the Red Dragons swept the defending SUNYAC champions. 

"Since we got swept by Cortland, it is a little intimidating playing them this weekend, but we are looking to improve our game a lot this week at practice and come out strong" added Cooke. 

The Hawks have not lost to SUNY Potsdam in a single match over the past 25 games. SUNY New Paltz will look to keep a perfect 26-0 record over the Bears. 

Jessica Ader leads her team with 135 kills while Kendall Jones paces SUNY Potsdam with 445 assists. Dahlia Rafael-Tirado and Nicole Hansen are both tied with 26 service aces each. In addition, Hansen is right behind Ader in kills with 133 of her own. Defensively, Natalie Magallon has tallied 386 digs with Monica Mack sits on top with 19 blocks. The Bears enters Friday's contest with a hitting percentage of .150.

After dealing with SUNY Potsdam, the Hawks will face off against the Cardinals. Plattsburgh State is currently 7-13 on the season and 0-5 in the SUNYAC. The Cardinals are coming off two 3-0 losses against SUNY Cortland and Oswego State. 

"We can't underestimate them," said Cooke. "We can't underestimate any team, because with our record so far we just have to come out strong every single time to play the best volleyball we can."

Similar to the Bears, SUNY New Paltz has not dropped a conference matchup against Plattsburgh State and holds a current 27-0 record over the Cardinals. 

Michelle Simmons leads Plattsburgh State in two categories with 156 kills and 104 blocks. Allyssa Rock has marked 321 assists while Megan Hyde has racked up 272 digs. Additionally, Rachel Mennonna chipped in 31 service aces so far. 

"I expect both Potsdam and Plattsburgh to be challenges," added Giufre. "Potsdam has been playing teams very tough and had a big win over Cortland last weekend. Plattsburgh has some offensive weapons particularly out of the middle that we need to find ways to neutralize."

The Hawks take the court to battle the Bears Friday with first serve scheduled for 6 p.m.

To follow along with live stats for BOTH matches, click HERE.

To follow along with live video versus SUNY Potsdam, click HERE. 

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