Potsdam, NY — In its final regular season SUNYAC matchup, the State University of New York New Paltz outlasted the Potsdam Bears in a nail-biting five-set battle. By a mere five points in the final set, the Hawks took the match 3-2, (23-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 15-10).

"The team did an amazing job with playing smart and hitting every spot Potsdam left open for us," said sophomore middle hitter Lexi Stragalas. "We stayed mentally strong, which was the only way we were able to keep bouncing back."

The victory elevates SUNY New Paltz to a 13-11 overall record and 6-3 in conference. The win also adds to the Hawks' now four-game SUNYAC winning streak. 

"This game has given us a huge boost going into the last part of the regular season," said Hawks captain Jamie Albrecht. "From here on out everyone is going to play fearless and expect [that] the ball is going to them every time. Every player on this team has an impact on and off the court [which] was huge today."

In the first set, the Bears immediately took the lead with two straight points and never relinquished the advantage to SUNY New Paltz the entire period. The Hawks attempted to rally late in the first, as they tied Potsdam 23-23 in the final minutes of play. But their efforts fell short, as the Bears closed out the set with the final two points, and the hosts took the first 25-23.

SUNY New Paltz bounced back in the second set and kept the score close throughout the beginning of the period. Courtney Meyer helped the Hawks surge ahead midway through the set, as the sophomore stayed behind the service line and sent three successful serves to Potsdam's defense. The Bears were forced to take a time out with SUNY New Paltz up 11-6. 

However, the break did not swing the momentum in Potsdam's favor, and the Hawks kept the lead for the remainder of the set. Meyer closed the second with a punctuative service ace, and SUNY New Paltz took the second 25-17.  Across the match, Meyer led the team with five service aces. 

"Courtney seriously stepped up," said Stragalas. "Her serving completely destroyed Potsdam's back row."

But the Hawks could not preserve the positive momentum into the next set, and they dropped the third 25-22. SUNY New Paltz was forced to win the fourth to move on — but it did not crack under the pressure.  

The Hawks got out to an early four-point lead before a service error ended the run. However, the Bears were not far behind, and they quickly came back to tie SUNY New Paltz at 6-6. The score remained close for the following points, but another service ace by Meyer and kill by Letisha Perez elevated the Hawks past Potsdam, and gave SUNY New Paltz a 13-9 lead. 

The Hawks continued their success through the remainder of the fourth, but the Bears tried to chip away at the lead and produced a four-point run to force a Hawks timeout at 22-18. However, the pause gave SUNY New Paltz the ability to regroup, and Albrecht delivered a dominant kill out of the timeout. To end the set, Perez killed the last point off an assist by Elena Savage, which forced the fifth and final set between the competitors. 

SUNY New Paltz did not let up an inch during the fifth set, and came out with five unanswered kills, punctuated by an ace from Maria Weigand. Potsdam attempted to come back from the deficit, but the lead was extended by two aces from Meyer late in the set, which silenced the comeback. Perez delivered the final kill of the set for a 14-10 Hawks lead, and the final point was given up by the Bears on an attack error. 
 
"After clinching the fifth set, we all felt a feeling of togetherness within our team," said Stragalas. "We really pushed ourselves, especially in the last set, and it felt amazing to win and secure our playoff spot. It was such a great feeling because we all gave this game our absolute all and it was so nice to see it paid off."

Stragalas led the team in kills with 12, followed by Regan Moeykens (11), Albrecht (10) and Perez (10). Savage and Kim Braun tallied 22 and 25 assists, respectively, and Weigand earned 18 digs. 

"Every player on this team has an impact on and off the court and that was huge today," said Albrecht. "I'm really proud of this team for fighting back and never giving up [and] a lot of our younger players have stepped up in these last few games and it has helped us immensely."

The Hawks enter their last week of regular season play when they host the Vassar Brewers on Wednesday before hosting the New Paltz Tri-Match on Nov. 9. The game against the Brewers begins at 6 p.m.

"This win is just the beginning for us as we head into the last leg of regular season play," said Stragalas. "Going into playoffs we are going to keep playing for one another, and by bringing our all every single day, we are going to be ready and confident for the teams we are going to face." 

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