The United Volleyball Conference announced its yearly all-conference awards Thursday with five Hawks being honored, including Player of the Year Matthew Grace and Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year Robert Nolan.
 
To view the full list of All-UVC selections, click here.
 
To view all of the Hawks All-UVC selections read below:
 

---

Player of the Year/First-Team All-UVC
Matthew Grace (Senior, Setter)
Holbrook, NY
Sachem North High School
 
Grace has powered the Hawks at setter since he came in as a freshman in 2017. He already became the programs all-time assists record holder last season, guided the team to a national title in 2019 and has claimed two AVCA All-America honors, as well as now being a four-time All-UVC recipient. 

The Holbrook, NY native was named Co-UVC Player of the Year in a shortened 2020 season, sharing the accolade with St. John Fisher College's Josh Bigford. Grace came back for a fifth year looking for another national championship with SUNY New Paltz and is halfway to his goal as he led the team to a No. 1 seed in the UVC Tournament, which begins Friday. Through his efforts, he distanced himself as the best player in the conference and one of the best in the country, as he was named as this year's UVC Player of the Year.
 
"Setter position is the most important position in volleyball, similar to quarterback in American football," said Hawks coach Radu Petrus. "Matt runs our offense very well. He is very creative; he has a great impact on our team success."
 
Grace played in all but three sets this season, appearing in all nine games played thus far. He leads the team with 320 assists on the season and surpassed 50-plus assists twice. The first in a program-setting performance against St. John Fisher, when he totaled a staggering 73 assists and again in a five-set top-seed clinching victory over Vassar where he totaled 58.
 
Along with his prolific assist totals, Grace has added 40 digs and 10 blocks — both ranking third on the team — with 11 kills and eight aces.
 
"Matt is one of the best setters we ever had," Petrus added. "His ability and dedication to work with coaches and his teammates is exemplary."
 

Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year/Second-Team All-UVC
Robert Nolan (Senior, Libero)
Holbrook, NY
Sachem North High School
 
Nolan, also a Sachem North product like his longtime teammate Grace, has been a staple in the Hawks' lineup throughout his five-year career and although he hasn't always gotten the postseason recognition is one of the most important pieces in SUNY New Paltz's perennial program. His impact was rewarded this time around, as he was voted as the UVC Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year. 
 
Nolan, who also earned All-UVC Second-Team recognition in 2020 after leading the team in digs, once again paced the Hawks in digs with 83 in 2021 and was third in assists with 18 over the short, nine-match regular season. Nolan saw action in 110 matches over his career, while also landing on the SUNYAC Commissioner's List and All-UVC academic honors.

Nolan played in every set this season and averaged 2.59 digs per set, but is also one of the best in serve receive, committing just five reception errors on the year. Along with his dig totals, Nolan added 15 assists and two kills.
 
"He is in charge of our defense, very good serve receiver and ''feeds '' the setter well," Petrus said. "To have a serve receiver like Rob it makes a huge difference to our team."

The Holbrook, NY native holds single season records in digs, ranking fifth with 281 in 2019 and 10th with 251 in 2017, and currently sits second all-time in program history with 949 digs, just 242 behind 2008 alum Pedro Medina.
 
"Rob is our best serves receiver and great defense specialist," Petrus said. "All these attributes reflect on our team success."


First-Team All-UVC
Brendan Spulnick (Junior, Outside Hitter)
Clifton Park, NY
Shenendehowa High School
 
Spulnick, a junior, has played in 55 matches in his Hawks career including all nine in 2021. With key starters out, including All-American opposite Aaron Carrk, Spulnick stepped up to put the offense on his shoulders and finished the regular season as SUNY New Paltz's most productive hitter.
 
"It was a lot of pressure for Brendan for the first part of our season. He did very well considering we had main starters out," Petrus said.
 
Spulnick registered 20 kills twice this season, while adding a 16-kill performance against St. John Fisher to start the year. He has hit below .350 only twice this season with his most efficient performances came against Vassar where he hit .667 on nine attempts and a sweep over Elmira where he finished with a hitting percentage of .769 on 13 attempts.

Playing in all but two sets in 2021, Spulnick totaled a team-most 118 kills on the season, including 20 service aces which would have undoubtedly landed the junior on the Hawks' single-season list if he kept that pace in an unshorten season. Additionally. Spulnick has paced his team in points (147.5) and finished second in both blocks (14) and digs (49) only behind Libero of the Year, Nolan.
 
"Brendan significantly improved his volleyball skills from freshman year," Petrus said. "He has more potential left to show us. He has strong arms. In his great days he can make easy points for our team serving only. One of the top server's in DIII."
 

First-Team All-UVC
Nick O'Malley (Senior, Middle Blocker)
East Meadow, NY
East Meadow High School
 
O'Malley appeared in all nine matches of the 2021 shortened season. He led the Hawks in blocks with 17 and was third in kills with 61. Appearing in 86 matches over his career, O'Malley was a 2019 UVC Second-Team selection, and a 2020 UVC First-Team and AVCA First-Team All-American.

When O'Malley is in the middle for SUNY New Paltz, the Hawks are a more dominant team. The East Meadow, NY native registered double-digit kills twice in 2021, hitting .287 on the season with a team-leading 17 blocks on the year.
 
"To have a 6'7 middle blocker who can reach 11-feet, 6-inch in vertical jump means a lot for team offense," Petrus said. "Also, he is the best blocker in the front row. His physical and volleyball technique matches our setter. In his best day he is unstoppable."
 
 

Second-Team All-UVC
Aaron Carrk (Senior, Opposite)
Delmar, NY
Bethlehem Central High School
 
Carrk, a two-time All-American and NCAA National Tournament MVP, played in seven matches and just 24 sets but still finished second on the team in kills (69), kills per set (3.19) and points (76.5), while ranking fourth in digs (36) and aces (four).
 
"Aaron is very important to our team," Petrus said. "He is very efficient player in front row and back row. He has game experience, very important for team members to ''see'' him in the court in difficult situations. It was a short season for us, and Aaron didn't have chance to show all his fullest potential."
 
Carrk, who has played in 100 matches throughout his career, earned AVCA First-Team All-America and First-Team All-UVC honors in 2020 when he led SUNY New Paltz in total kills, kills per set and points.
 
His most prolific game of 2021 came in SUNY New Paltz's regular season finale at Vassar College, which decided who would earn the top seed in the UVC Tournament. Carrk came through with 22 kills on 41 attempts in the five-set victory, hitting .366 with three aces, 10 digs and two blocks. Carrk added double-digit kills in both 3-0 sweeps over Elmira as well.
 
"With his abilities to spike from back row it makes him special," Petrus said. "His volleyball skills match with team strategy. [He has a] very good connection with setter [Matthew Grace]. Together they make great offense combinations at the net."

--
To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.