New Paltz, NY -- The State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (10-2, 1-1 UVC) won both its tri-match games on Saturday, where the Hawks faced the Nazareth Golden Eagles (3-10, 0-2 UVC) and the Arcadia Knights (8-6).
SUNY New Paltz won its first United Volleyball Conference (UVC) match of the season against Nazareth College 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-23), and defeated Arcadia University 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-22).
"We realized after we lost to Vassar, every UVC game matters so much more because we're trying to get that top seed," said Hawks senior Nick O'Malley. "We're really looking to host, that's our goal, that's my dream, to host a conference championship."
In the first set, the Golden Eagles came out hot, dictating the tempo of the game, but O'Malley served three consecutive aces to give the Hawks an 8-7 lead. SUNY New Paltz kept pushing and increased its advantage to six points, forcing a Nazareth time-out at 17-11. Hawks captain Matthew Grace came out of a timeout on fire, striking three aces of his own as the Golden Eagles struggled to handle the ball.
Senior opposite Riley Dolan claimed a solo block to bring the Hawks within set point at 24-13, before a service error by the Nazareth gifted SUNY New Paltz the set, 25-14.
In the second set, O'Malley put down a kill and followed it up with a block to get on top 5-2. O'Malley again timed his jump perfectly, blocking outside hitter Kaleb Luton's kill attempt to claim his second block of the set, earning SUNY New Paltz a 13-9 margin.
Gallery: (2/15/2020) Men's Volleyball vs. Arc. and Naz. 2/15
The two UVC teams then exchanged service errors, bringing the set to 19-15. Junior opposite Brendan Spulnick got the Hawks' sixth block of the game to take a 22-18 lead, but the Golden Eagles cut the advantage to one at 22-21.
Nazareth then tied the set at 23-23, forcing coach Radu Petrus to call a timeout. Hawks senior opposite Aaron Carrk spiked a kill to extend the set at 24-24, and a kill by senior opposite Riley Dolan won the set, 26-24 for SUNY New Paltz to take a 2-0 edge.
The third set remained close, as Grace anticipated the play with a kill, tying the set at 11 apiece. The Golden Eagles were then able to take a 17-13 lead, as the Hawks committed some defensive errors.
Carrk took it upon himself to pick up the team, with an ace to cut the lead to 19-17, and his outside hitting partner Riley Dolan followed up with a kill to bring SUNY New Paltz within one. Carrk then slammed down an ace once more, tying the set at 19-19, pressing the Golden Eagles into a timeout.
After a long exchange, Carrk tallied another kill to give the Hawks a 22-21 edge, and they followed that up with a block. The set remained competitive, and Carrk fired a kill to take a 20-19 margin. Carrk didn't stop there, spiking the ball off two defenders to come within match point, before a service error won the game, 25-23
Grace finished with 29 assists, Carrk led all players with 11 kills, while Spulnick was close behind at eight kills. SUNY New Paltz notched a 0.195 hitting percentage in the game.
The Hawks started a little slow against Arcadia, but a missed kill by the Knights brought SUNY New Paltz within one at 12-11. The Hawks tied the set with a Knights error at 16, before an Carrk block put them up one. Later in the set, senior Tevin Skeete brought SUNY New Paltz to set-point, which ultimately helped secure a 25-23 win.
The second set was back and forth, and Arcadia took a four point margin at 18-14, forcing the Hawks into a timeout. The Knights played good defense and struck the ball well, earning a 21-15 advantage, but SUNY New Paltz clawed back to within three at 21-18 thanks to an ace by sophomore serving specialist Dan LaRosa. Spulncik brought the difference to within one following an ace, but it wasn't enough as Arcadia tied the game, 1-1.
The Knights were motivated and played with intensity, taking a commanding 6-2 lead in the third set. The Hawks could not find their stroke behind the line, missing three consecutive serves, going down, 9-6.
A kill followed up with two aces by Spulnick cut Arcadia's lead to 13-12, and in the next play it couldn't handle Spulnick's serve once more, as the set was tied. SUNY New Paltz turned it around, and took a 20-16 edge with some good serving. Skeete capped off the set with a kill at 25-22.
Although SUNY New Paltz doubled up, 8-4 in the fourth set, the Knights fought back to within one at 8-7. Hawks led, 20-14 on a Tevin Skeete kill and added on with a double block to take a 22-15 margin.
"The way we're gonna prepare for Stevens is the same way we're gonna treat every game, as if it's the most important game of the season," O'Malley added. "You never know when that game can be a deciding factor in seeding for playoffs or NCAAs."
SUNY New Paltz next faces Stevens University at the Hawk Center Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.
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