New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz opened up United Volleyball Conference action Wednesday night against Bard College in the Hawk Center. The Hawks had their way with the Raptors and won in straight sets: 25-18, 25-17, 25-9.
 
"It feels good to get a win out of the way," said SUNY New Paltz sophomore outside Christopher Larkin. "It's always good to win in the conference and I think we needed this win to prepare ourselves for tomorrow's game against St. Joe's."
 
The Hawks started pulling away in the first set after a 6-0 run to re-take the lead from 8-7 down to 13-8 up over the Raptors with Carter Lotz serving through the stretch, which was capped by back-to-back aces from the freshman. SUNY New Paltz maintained the cushion the rest of the way and held set point at 24-18 following a kill from Adam Brawn. The hosts closed out the set a point later after Bard served out of bounds.
 
The Raptors went up 14-12 midway through the second set, but the Hawks countered with a 9-0 run as Larkin served through each point. Bard worked back within six at 23-17, but consecutive errors by the Raptors, first on a serve and then on a swing at the net, gave SUNY New Paltz a 2-0 lead. 
The Hawks didn't waste any time in the third and finished out the sweep by allowing the Raptors just eight points in the final set. They scored 12 of the final 13 points in the stanza with Larkin and Brawn combining for five kills in that span with Cam Clark putting the finishing touches with an ace at match point.

"We came out a little flat in the first couple sets, so we put an emphasis on coming out with a little more energy in the third set and just play to the best of our potential," Larkin said.
 
Lotz led the team in points (14) and kills (10), which were both season highs for the Port Washington, NY native. Larkin followed with seven kills and 11 points on the night to go along with a team-leading seven digs. Brawn added six kills and a game-high three blocks, while Clark finished with a team-best 23 assists.
 
SUNY New Paltz also totaled a season-high in aces with 12, as Larkin led the way with a career-high four aces in the win.

"Feels great, especially because I was out last year with an injury, so it was nice to get back on the court," Larkin added. "Our serve receive can improve a little bit. We can be a little bit sharper on that end. I think we hit pretty well today, but I think serve receive and serving is going to be a key to tomorrow's game."
 
The Hawks are back in the Hawk Center Thursday, hosting St. Joseph's-Long Island. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Highlights & Post-Game Interview Featuring Christopher Larkin


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