The State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (20-7 overall, 8-1 UVC) plays at the Hawk Center Tuesday against St. Joseph's College-Long Island (19-5), a good test for the Hawks before the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) playoffs.
SUNY New Paltz, seeded at No. 2 in the tournament, faces the winner of the St. John Fisher and Vassar College match at Caldwell University in the semifinal on April 13. The tournament gives the winning team an automatic berth in the national tournament. 
The Hawks faced the Golden Eagles both in 2018 and 2017, coming away with 3-1 wins each time.
With two wins on the weekend, including the final regular season UVC match of the year, the Hawks won 3-1 (25-20, 25-27, 25-19, 25-18) against Nazareth College (15-11, 3-6 UVC). SUNY New Paltz is feeling good as it inches closer to the critical part of the season, but knows now is the time to step up.
"Yeah the two wins were good but we're not taking anything for granted. We know there are tougher teams out there," said Hawks junior middle blocker Tevin Skeete. "We got some great competition coming up and I think we'll do really well in those games."
The Hawks are building confidence with five wins in their last six, and want to end the season with a good run. They have a chance to avenge a loss against Kean University on April 6, a team they lost to 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-12) earlier this year.
"The guys are pumped, everyone is really excited, we wanted to be number one in the conference with the game against Stevens, but stuff happens you know," Hawks junior Tevin Skeete said. "I feel like this is our year, the year for New Paltz to come out back on top. The guys before us left a legacy and we're trying to build our own. We're gonna take it to any team."
SUNY New Paltz faces off against the Golden Eagles at 7 p.m. in the Hawk Center
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