Providence, RI — The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team dropped both games on the opening day of the Johnson & Wales Tournament Friday.
 
The Hawks (0-3 overall) began the day with a match against Union College where they lost in five sets, and then had a tough test in rebounding against a perennial regionally ranked program in Babson College (2-0) and fell in straight sets (25-14, 25-14, 25-16).
 
Against the Beavers, the Hawks struggled to get going offensively. They totaled just 22 kills in the game and hit .068 as a team. Babson got out in front early in both set one and two, already holding a nine-point lead at 15-6 in set one, and a 13-point lead at 18-5 in set two, but SUNY New Paltz battled in the third.
 
Not laying over against one of the strongest teams in the New England region, the Hawks matched the Beavers point for point to open up the third set. A kill by Victoria Konicki tied the set at nine apiece, but Babson countered with four-straight points. Lauren Abbott ended the spurt for SUNY New Paltz, registering a point off an assist from Dana Collins to get her team within one. After the teams traded points, Abbott again responded with successful swing, this time Ceci Brooks came up with the assist, and got the Hawks within three. However, a six-point run at 15-12 allowed the Beavers to establish a cushion and run away with the deciding third set.
 
The stretch was bookended with kills by the Beavers' Lulu McShane and Allie Puccio. Ashley Gold recorded two aces during that span to help push Babson to a 20-12 advantage. Katie Steele and Letisha Perez each registered kills, assisted by Cate DiGiacomo and Collins, respectively, but the offense stopped there as the Beavers earned match point following an attacking error from the Hawks.
 
"Babson is one of the best teams in New England and we're not at the level yet. We will get there," said SUNY New Paltz coach Matt Giufre. "In that one I saw us become more of the type of team I want us to be — tough, aggressive and not getting down on ourselves when we lost points. If that's who we learn to be this weekend it'll be a huge step for us, but we need to repeat it tomorrow."
 
Abbott led the way for the Hawks, finishing with a team-high seven kills while hitting an efficient .778 on nine attempts and added a block to her stat sheet. Steele followed with five kills and four digs, while DiGiacomo had a team-best 11 assists to go along with three digs.
 
"Lauren did a really nice job in both matches," Giufre said. "She's a solid player that will contribute throughout the year, so it was great to see her take advantage of an opportunity tonight and establish very strong play."
 
SUNY New Paltz battled through five sets against the Dutchmen in the earlier game, but couldn't garner key points in pivotal moments to walk away with their first win of the season.

"Union played a nice game, but we missed some opportunities to come out with a win," Giufre said. "As we mature as a team, we need to have a better sense of what the opponent is doing so we can win critical points."
 
The Hawks are back in action Saturday, first playing hosting Johnson & Wales University at 11 a.m. and then finishing the weekend against Clark University at 1:30 p.m.
 
*live stats were not provided during the Hawks vs. Union game. Please check back to nphawks.com over the weekend for an updated box score.

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