Coming off a strong win Wednesday, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (6-1) prepares for a tough weekend matchup with two consecutive games against Lasell College (2-4) and Hunter College (2-3) Saturday.

The two opponents haven't started off the season as hot as the Hawks, but will surely be motivated to play against a nationally ranked opponent like No. 3 SUNY New Paltz. 

"It's literally a target on our backs, man," said Hawks junior middle blocker Tevin Skeete. "Everyone wants to play their best volleyball against SUNY New Paltz."

Skeete noted his team must head into the match mentality prepared and cannot play down to the level of competition.

The 3-1 win against Vassar College Wednesday (25-17, 16-25, 25-20, 25-20) saw the Hawks start well, but their second set struggles were highlighted again, something they will have to watch out for, especially when playing consecutive matches. With SUNY New Paltz playing back-to-back games coach Radu Petrus could look to his bench early for some help.

"We had a scrappy game, and there were a lot of long points, but we blocked really well which helped us out a lot," said Hawks junior libero Robert Nolan. "Heading into this weekend we're going to look to a lot of players, but we got a lot of depth on the bench. Playing a clean game against them is going to help us win," Nolan added.

The Hawks travel to New York City on Saturday to play Lasell College at 12 p.m. and Hunter College at 2 p.m.

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