The State University of New York at New Paltz (9-4, 2-0 UVC) men's volleyball team couldn't fend off Springfield College (13-1) in the Hawk Center Wednesday, and now looks to stay undefeated in the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) against Elmira College (6-9 overall, 0-2 UVC), Augustana College (4-7) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (9-2, 2-2) in the SUNY New Paltz Tri-Match this weekend.
 
The Hawks lost their first two sets against the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, digging themselves a hole early in the game, which they weren't able to overcome. SUNY New Paltz put on a show in the third set as the two teams went at it, with the Hawks ultimately taking the set 33-31 as the momentum looked to swing to the home side. The crowd spurred the Hawks in the final fourth set, but Springfield's offense kept an even keel, taking the game 3-1 (20-25, 21-25, 33-31, 20-25).
 
"We have to stop talking about implementing consistency, making the right decisions in particular plays, and actually follow through with them," said Hawks junior outside hitter Aaron Carrk. "We just need to be consistent and back up our game plan with our play, ultimately we need to be pushing each other to deliver our max performance all the time."
 
The Hawks take on Elmira College for their second UVC matchup Saturday, a team that is yet to win in the conference this year, but a squad SUNY New Paltz cannot take lightly, having lost to them last year in five sets, 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 19-25, 25-18, 10-15)
 
SUNY New Paltz then faces Augustana College, a team that is new on the volleyball scene, having had its first season in 2018 (11-16). The Vikings are coming off a loss in straight sets to Vassar College on Thursday, as part of their first New York tour in school history.
 
The Hawks won't get a lot of rest, as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology comes to the Hawk Center Sunday, sitting at 2-2 in the UVC, just having themselves defeated Vassar for an important conference win.
 
With only one day of practice to prepare for the weekend's games, Hawks coach Radu Petrus and his coaching staff are looking to focus on a few adjustments in team strategy, both on defense and offense.
 
The Hawks take on Elmira College and Augustana College on Saturday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. respectively, and face the MIT Engineers on Sunday at 12 p.m. To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks,Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.