New Paltz, NY -- The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team broke its three-game losing streak Friday as it swept SUNY Potsdam in three sets (25-20, 25-11, 25-19) in the Hawk Center to keep its playoff hopes alive. 

"It's really exciting," said Hawks coach Matt Giufre. "It's a relief. I thought we came out and played a really good, clean game of volleyball. We served well, passed well, hit well and setters were good. It was one of the cleanest games we've played this year on offense and on defense. It was great to see."

The win boosts SUNY New Paltz's record to 9-10 on the year and 4-4 in the SUNYAC whereas the Bears fell to 8-12 overall, (2-4 SUNYAC). 

SUNY Potsdam built an early 3-1 mark to open up the first set after a kill came from Mikayla Myers. Junior Demi Herasme's kill tied the set at four, but the Bears made a comeback as a pair of kills from Jessica Ader boosted the score for SUNY Potsdam, 7-4. 
 

The Hawks quickly adjusted and scored three consecutive points, which included a kill from sophomore Courtney Gebhardt and a pair of service aces from senior Nicole Fellone to even the set at seven. A kill from senior Maddie Van Pelt gave SUNY New Paltz their first advantage, 13-9, and at the same time forcing the Bears to take their first timeout of the game. The Hawks continued to tally points to lift the score 21-15 after a kill from junior Julie Greenspan. The foes were not able to catch up as the hosts grabbed set one 25-20 after another kill from Van Pelt. 

SUNY New Paltz returned the favor in the second set and rapidly established a 5-0 lead to make SUNY Potsdam utilize its first timeout of the set. The Bears struggled to collect some points after attack errors and bad sets allowed the Hawks to gain an 11-3 advantage. SUNY Potsdam were only able to catch 11 points in total as SUNY New Paltz never lost momentum and dominated the Bears throughout the remainder of the set and captured a 25-11 set victory. 

The Hawks opened up the last set with a 4-2 lead after SUNY Potsdam recorded the opening two points. A kill from Monica Mack and an attack error from Herasme evened the score for the Bears at seven. However, SUNY New Paltz was not affected, as it scored four-straight points to regain the lead, 13-8, following a kill from senior Kerri Neville, an attack error by Nicole Ramirez, a service from junior Haley Timarky and a kill from freshman Makenzie Bills. 

SUNY Potsdam cut the deficit by three, 17-14, after a kill from Myers, Natalie Magallon's service ace and an attack error from the Hawks. Despite SUNY New Paltz reaching game point, the foes tried forcing the game into a fourth set by scoring two more points, but an attack error from Nicole Ramirez ended the set and the game. The Hawks won the set three, 25-19, and took its fourth conference win of the season, 3-0. 

Neville led SUNY New Paltz in two categories: four service aces and seven blocks. Timarky collected 16 assists and came in second with 10 digs. Fellone had a team-high 12 digs, while tying Van Pelt with 11.5 points each. In addition, Van Pelt racked up 10 kills and is only eight kills away from reaching 1,000 kills of her collegiate career. The Hawks finished with a .160 hitting percentage, while the Bears were shut down to a hitting percentage of .029. 

SUNY New Paltz returns to action Saturday as it hosts Plattsburgh State to close out SUNYAC play in the Hawk Center. First serve is scheduled for a 1 p.m start time.

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