New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (11-3, 2-1 UVC) is on the road again this weekend as the Hawks travel to Patchogue, NY to face North Central College (9-4) and St Joseph's College-Long Island (9-4).
 
The Hawks have had an up and down season so far, beginning ranked No. 1 in the nation as the reigning national champions, but have now fallen to No. 4 after losses against fierce competition such as Springfield College (13-2), crosstown rival Vassar College (10-4) and Stevens Institute of Technology (13-3). All of these teams are ranked top five in the national DIII men's volleyball poll, so the Hawks need to collect wins to better their chances of a bid into the NCAA tournament.
 
"Our loss to Stevens last week was tough and this weekend we're going against some tough teams in St. Joes-LI and North Central," said Hawks senior libero Robert Nolan. "This weekend will present itself with a lot of high level volleyball and it will be a great test for us as a team to bounce back and start up a new winning streak."  
SUNY New Paltz is hitting .294 on the season, slightly above North Central at .274 and St Joseph's at .189. The Hawks are also traveling at 13.1 kills per set compared to their tri-match opponents who both sit at 12.2 kills per set. 

After getting a rest against Bard College (1-13) this week, the Hawks' star players will probably be back in action. Senior opposite Aaron Carrk has the most kills for SUNY New Paltz this year with 179, followed by sophomore outside hitter Brendan Spulnick at 146, who also tops the Hawks with 21 service aces on the season. 
 
Carrk leads his team in blocks with 22, with senior middle blocker Nick O'Malley and Spulnick close behind with 21 and 20 respectively.
 
Senior libero Robert Nolan has 177 digs for the Hawks, followed by Carrk at 74 and senior captain Matthew Grace at 59.
 
"My experience helps for sure when it comes to defense but it's also a lot of communication that goes on with the guys on the court, whether it be before, after, or during the play that helps get a pass in system," Nolan said. "However, we're really trying to focus on serve receive this year, after graduating two thirds of our serve-receive last year, it's really important to get comfortable and have an understanding of each other when it comes to serve receive and it takes time but it's something we are taking strides towards."
 
In 2019, SUNY New Paltz beat North Central College, 3-1 in Santa Cruz, California during the Slug Slam at Kaiser Permanente Arena, and swept St Joseph's College in the Hawk Center.
 
The Hawks tip-off against North Central at 11.30 a.m. and St. Joseph's College-Long Island at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
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