New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team improved to 3-0 on the season after a home opening sweep over visiting Western Connecticut State in the Hawk Center Wednesday.
 
The Hawks, coming off two impressive wins over premiere programs in Johnson & Wales and Kean, played in their home gym for the first time in 2022 and although they came away with the straight set victory weren't as consistent as they showed over the weekend, but managed through with WestConn coming back in the first and third sets.

"We weren't as clean and crisp as we were over the weekend, and I think a lot of that is the first match of the year teams are usually jittery but usually both teams are in the same boat," said SUNY New Paltz coach Matt Giufre. "First match of the year could be a little tougher, a little tense, your crowd is here. You want to put on a good performance. When it's not easy, you tense up a little bit and I think now those things are out of the way and we can get back into playing more like how we did over the weekend and even in our scrimmages than we were tonight."
 
The Hawks trailed early in the first set, but a 7-1 run helped earn a comfortable 20-13 advantage before WestConn worked its way back after a few errors by the hosts to get as close as 22-20 in the first leading to Giufre's first timeout. SUNY New Paltz were focused after the 75 second break with Cate DiGiacomo and Victoria Konicki combining for a big block leading to set point with WestConn helping in the set win for the Hawks on a service error.
 
 
SUNY New Paltz made quick work in the second, dropping just 15 points in the period. WestConn was within one at 13-12 after a tough serve, but DiGiacomo found Mackenzie Williams on a backset for a hard swing that found the middle of the court to give the Hawks back serve. SUNY New Paltz went on a six-point unanswered stretch with DiGiacomo serving through and tallying an ace with Letisha Perez and Williams contributing with three kills to boost their team's cushion to 10. After a kill and an ace ended the scoreless drought for WestConn, the Hawks closed out after DiGiacomo set Bills on the right side for a kill with Williams putting the exclamation point with a set point ace.  
 
SUNY New Paltz found itself down early in the third, 15-11, with the offense struggling to get going. DiGiacomo went to Victoria Konicki in the middle for a kill to stall WestConn's run. The Hawks slowly worked their way back, as Konicki managed to earn back-to-back points on a tip at the net with Williams adding on to cut the deficit, 17-15.  
Williams served into the net before Katie Steele's attempt went wide to push WestConn's lead to 21-17 forcing a timeout by Giufre. Out of the timeout, WestConn hit into the net to give back serve. Makenzie Bills registered a kill on the following point before a setting error got the Hawks within one. Consecutive points by WestConn, capped with an attacking error by Williams, pushed them within two points of the third set victory, as they earned set point after a setting error by DiGiacomo.

"We were just a little bit out of sync," Giufre said. "A couple of servers on Western Connecticut really made life tough on us, which we want to see, and we appreciate seeing. Both their middles are big time athletes, and they created some challenges, but just some hesitant and tenseness we haven't really shown that I think getting this first home game out of the way we'll be able to move forward and be the team we know we are."
 
However, like they did over the weekend, SUNY New Paltz grinded out the last four points to climb back in and snatch the momentum and win from their opponents. Steele started the run, finishing a set by DiGiacomo before Melanie Podstupka followed with an ace on the next point. She served tough on the next two points, as back-to-back attacking errors pushed the Hawks to match point. Konicki then did the honors as she beat West Conn's block in the middle to register the game-winning kill.
 
"We had some sets over the weekend where we were in the same position and found a way to do it and I believed we could do it," Giufre said. "Not that doing it is easy and certainly not against a team like Western Connecticut, but because we've done it, I believed we could come back and get it if we had some points left to go."
 
Williams led SUNY New Paltz offensively with 10 kills, two aces and five digs, while totaling a game-high 13 points. Bills followed with eight kills, hitting .429 in the match with two blocks. Waddell and DiGiacomo each had a game-high three aces with the former leading the team with 12 digs, while the latter finished with a game-high 25 assists, a block and three digs.
 
The Hawks are back in the Hawk Center this weekend as they host the annual Hawks Invitational in the Hawk Center Friday and Saturday. They open up the tournament against Russell Sage College Friday at 4 p.m.

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