Box Score New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz fell to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers Friday. After nearly winning an exhilarating overtime first set 29-31, the Hawks dropped the next two sets to the Engineers, 19-25 and 19-25.

The match marked SUNY New Paltz's first UVC competition of the 2024 season, as they now transition into conference play after suffering their first loss in the last five games. 

The Engineers started the match off with two straight points, before being interrupted by a statement kill from Pat Wing. Five errors in a row followed from both sides of the court, but MIT held a steady lead throughout the first set until an ace by Matthew Marusza tied the score 15-15. But a failed serve followed, which put MIT back in the lead, and they kept it for multiple points afterward. When a time-out brought the teams to their benches, the Hawks were up one, 23-22. The Engineers fought back and forced overtime, and kept neck and neck with SUNY New Paltz in the final few points. In the end, two attack errors in a row from the Hawks allowed the Engineers to secure the first set 31-29.

The Hawks struck first and took the first point of the second set, but MIT was right there to tie, and then score again to take the lead. Engineers started pulling away mid-set and made a five-point run late in the set to gain an eight-point lead 22-14. The Hawks attempted to chip away at the lead, but MIT took the second as well, 19-25. 
 
    
The third set was proof of the Hawks's determination to continue the game, as the Engineers never pulled away by more than two points until the end of the set. SUNY New Paltz was struggling to produce offense with an overall hit percentage of 0.216, and it was evident at the end of the third set when the Hawks could not spark a run even after two timeouts were called. MIT took the third 19-25 and solidified their victory. 
  
Wing, the AVCA's national player of the week and UVC Co-Player of the week led the team with 16 kills, 10 of them from the first set. He also recorded nine digs and two total blocks. AJ Fitzgerald followed with nine kills and 10 digs, and Marusza collected 32 assists
    
The Hawks return to action on March 6, traveling to Springfield to compete in one of their few remaining non-conference matchups. The game begins at 7 p.m. 

Post-Game Highlights


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