New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team captured its first two victories of the season Saturday to open up the 2019 Hawks Invitational. With the wins, the Hawks improve to 2-3 overall (0-0 SUNYAC). 
 
"It always feels good to win, but I just thought we played with a better mentality and a better attitude" said Hawks coach Matt Giufre on his team's performance. "We came out with an attitude like we better start winning. It's not just to try to play well or hustle, but it's finish plays and finish points. I was really happy about that. It's great to win, but most importantly it's to see that growth."
 
SUNY New Paltz opened up the tournament defeating Kean University in a tight game, 3-2. The Hawks fell in set one, 23-25, and tied the game in set two, winning 26-24. In the third set, the Cougars were able to take another set from SUNY New Paltz, 23-25. After that, the Hawks settled in and secured the victory, claiming sets four, 25-22, and five, 15-13. 
  Senior outside hitter Madison Van Pelt led SUNY New Paltz with 22.5 points and 21 kills. Junior middle hitter Demi Herasme followed with 13.5 points with 10 kills and a hitting percentage of .300. Junior setter Haley Timarky & senior libero Nicole Fellone both totaled 15 digs. In addition, Timarky finished with 45 assists. 
 
"It feels really good" said Fellone on Friday's victory over Kean. "We worked really hard, especially because it's on our home court. Coming out with a win really means a lot to all of us. I hope to keep pushing through it."
 
In the final matchup of the evening, the Hawks took on Hamilton College. The Continentals managed to steal a tight set one from SUNY New Paltz after miscommunication from the Hawks, winning 23-25. 
 
In set two, the Hawks took an early 8 to 4 lead which forced Hamilton College to take their first timeout. The Continentals would tie one more time after that, before SUNY New Paltz would comfortably take a 25-18 win. 
 
The Hawks would immediately jump to a 7-3 lead to begin set three. Fortunately, SUNY New Paltz never lost the lead and completed the set with another set victory, 25-21. 
 
Set four started with Hamilton taking an early 4-1 lead, but came back to tie up the score at five. An ace from junior libero Olivia D'Antonio gave SUNY New Paltz the lead. There was a back and forth scoring affair from both teams, but the Hawks successfully secured the victory. A kill by sophomore outside hitter Courtney Gebhardt ended the match, giving SUNY New Paltz a 25-22 victory over the Cougars in the final set. 
 
Timarky concluded with 21 digs and 36 assists. Meanwhile, Van Pelt finished with 16 kills. Gebhardt played solidly and finished with nine kills of her own. 
 
"[Courtney] played pretty well," said Giufre. "She came here playing lights out for a while. She struggled a little bit last weekend. Yesterday at practice, Courtney was pretty lights out. I knew that she was kind of coming back to being the player that she's capable of being. She played pretty well and there was no reason to not go with her in the Hamilton match. She is really starting to finish and put out a strong performance tonight."
 
The Hawks are looking to keep the momentum going Saturday as they are scheduled to face off against Alfred University and Williams College at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, in the Hawk Center.

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