Oneonta, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team opened up State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play with a 3-1 loss to SUNY Oneonta Tuesday in Dewar Arena. With the loss, the Hawks drop to 5-4 overall (0-1 SUNYAC), while the Red Dragons improved to 10-3 on the season and 1-0 in the SUNYAC. 
 
"We came out and played well in the first set," said SUNY New Paltz coach Matt Giufre after the loss. "After that, Oneonta started to play better and we didn't respond well at all and did not stand up to the challenge. We need to find a way to show strength and toughness when we're being challenged. We have the physical ability to be a top-tier team, but we need a lot more consistency on the emotional side of the game." 
 SUNY Oneonta jumped to an early 3-0 lead in set one, but a kill from junior Julie Greenspan put the Hawks on the board. They eventually gained their first lead of the game with a kill by sophomore Makenzie Bills, making the score 5-4. Both teams exchanged points in a back-and-forth scoring affair. SUNY New Paltz worked on a 19-14 lead after an attack error by Kathryn Johnson forced the Red Dragons to take their first timeout of the game. A kill by senior Kerri Neville ended set one to give the Hawks the win, 25-17. 
 
SUNY New Paltz quickly worked on a 7-3 lead to begin the second set. A kill by senior Maddie Van Pelt pushed SUNY Oneonta to regroup and take its first timeout of the set. After the timeout, the Hawks made the score 14-9, but the Red Dragons scored six consecutive points to tie the score at 14. SUNY Oneonta never lost momentum and stole set two, 22-25. 
 
After the Red Dragons won the third set, 25-18, the Hawks got out in front in set four to take a 4-2 advantage. However, an attack error from Van Pelt and a bad set from junior Haley Timarky tied the score. A kill by Adriana Losier handed SUNY Oneonta a 5-6 lead. Later in the set, an attack error from Victoria Moulder made the score 20-22, but the Hawks weren't able to regain the lead. Two back-to-back service aces from Kathryn Johnson secured a 20-25 set victory, at the same time giving SUNY Oneonta the 3-1 win over the defending conference champions.   
 
Van Pelt concluded with 14 kills and contributed 16.5 points. Senior Nicole Fellone collected five service aces and 16 digs. Both Van Pelt and Neville tied with a team-high four blocks. Timarky amassed 34 assists.
 
SUNY New Paltz heads to Hoboken, NJ to participate in the Ducks Classic hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology Sept. 20 and Sept. 21. The Hawks will take on Stockton University, the hosting Ducks, and Cabrini University, respectively. 

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