Oswego, NY - The State University of New York at New Paltz took home yet another win, defeating Oswego in four sets (25-15, 25-12, 23-25, 25-10), furthering their undefeated conference record to 5-0.  

"We're very pleased with tonight's win," said Hawks Coach Matt Giufre. "Our team came out fired up and locked in mentally right from the first whistle." 

The first set was quite the showing for the Hawks. They began the set neck and neck with the Lakers but were able to pull away halfway through the set, reaching a 16-9 lead after a service ace by Letisha Perez. SUNY New Paltz didn't stop there, as they would close the set with a ten-point lead over the Lakers, 25-15. 

The second set continued the Hawks' stellar play. They were able to get out to a four-to-nothing lead before an Oswego time-out, and they continued to extend the lead afterwards. A kill and a service ace from Jamie Albrecht, followed by a kill from Perez put the Hawks up 15-4. The Lakers attempted to shorten the deficit but were unsuccessful when SUNY New Paltz finished the set on a five-point run, with a kill by Perez to win the set 25-12.  

After two impressive sets from SUNY New Paltz, Oswego was forced to win the third. They gathered confidence and were able to beat out the Hawks in a nail-biting 25-23 point match. 

"Oswego played a good third set and we couldn't quite finish it," commented Giufre. "But I thought we came out in the fourth with good confidence and poise to finish the match." 

After falling in the third, SUNY New Paltz was sure to not let the match go into five sets. An initial two service aces followed by a kill from Mackenzie Williams proved the Hawks' determination, and they got out to a fast lead, not giving Oswego the chance gain any momentum. The Lakers had many errors throughout the set, and the Hawks would not let up offensively. A block by Lexi Stragalas sealed the deal, as SUNY New Paltz took the set in a dominant fashion 25-10, and they won the match.  

Williams was all over the court. She contributed to the Hawks' offense with 16 kills and added 3 digs and 1.0 blocks defensively. Perez was a force to be reckoned with at the net, with 3.5 total blocks and 10 kills. All around, SUNY New Paltz had more than double the number of kills as and more digs and blocks than Oswego. The Hawks also made fewer errors, having four reception errors in comparison to the Lakers' 14 errors. Melanie Podstupka had a great defensive showing with 12 digs. 

"I think our serving and defense were excellent [from] start to finish, with Mel making some really good digs, and making the right defensive calls based on situations we prepared for," said Giufre. "We look forward to another tough conference match tomorrow." 

The Hawks will be back on the court on Oct. 14 to face Cortland, who is second to SUNY New Paltz in the SUNYAC standings. The game begins at 1 p.m.  

********************** 
 
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.