Schenectady, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz headed up to the 518 area code to compete in the Union Tournament Saturday.
 
The Hawks won their opening match against Skidmore in four sets (25-19, 10-25, 25-18, 25-21) but fell in three against Williams College to close out the day, (25-11, 25-22, 25-12).
 
SUNY New Paltz opened up with a win in the first, which was stemmed from an 8-0 run that pushed it out in front with a commanding 20-6 lead. Kim Braun served through the stretch, tallying four aces and forcing three attacking errors with Elena Savage and Letisha Perez aiding in one with a double block at 19-6. Braun capped the run with another ace, but Skidmore came back after serving out to out-score the Hawks, 12-3 to get within five at 23-18.
 
An attacking error allowed SUNY New Paltz to get to set point with Christine Balbona closing out the period with a kill off an assist from Savage.
 
The rally by Skidmore seemingly turned into momentum as it entered the second set. The Hawks struggled offensively, hitting in the negatives and scoring just 10 points to allow the Thoroughbreds to tie the match following a 25-10 set win.
 
SUNY New Paltz re-grouped in the third. Perez broke a 14-14 tie with a kill and the Hawks never trailed from that point forward in the set. A 5-0 run gave the Hawks a 21-15 cushion, which was finished with a block by Perez and Jamie Albrecht, along with a kill by Albrecht on the following point. Skidmore then helped end the set, as attacking and setting errors led to set point, while a service error two points later concluded the period, 25-18 in favor of SUNY Paltz.  
The Hawks then closed out in the fourth. They held a 10-3 advantage thanks to strong serving from Courtney Meyer who recorded three-straight aces. The Thoroughbreds got within one at 13-12, but Perez swung for a kill off an assist from Savage to bring the lead back to two. Skidmore answered with four-straight points to get ahead by two, but SUNY New Paltz worked to tie the score at 17-all before regaining control following a 4-0 run of its own.
 
An attacking error allowed SUNY New Paltz to side out, leading to Meyer serving through the next three points as the sophomore libero forced two attacking errors, sandwiched between her career-high fourth ace of the game. The Hawks never trailed from then on, as a kill from Perez following a setting error led to match point. Perez then sealed the win with another kill to close out the 3-1 match.
 
Perez was the catalyst, leading the team with 13 points on 10 kills, hitting a healthy .471 with three blocks and two digs. Lexi Stragalas followed with seven kills and three digs. Meyer led the team defensively with nine digs to go along with four aces. Savage finished with a team-high 24 assists, while adding three aces and six digs.
 
SUNY New Paltz couldn't duplicate its performance against the Ephs. Williams held the advantage in nearly every statistical category, including points (51-28), kills (35-22), aces (15-2), assists (33-20) and digs (47-39).
 
Perez led the team with seven kills, followed by Albrecht and Balbona with four apiece. Albrecht also contributed with a team-high seven digs, while Savage added 12 assists.
 
Following Saturday's slate of games, the Hawks enter next weekend's Kean Tournament at 4-5 overall. They open up with Swarthmore College and Mount Saint Vincent Friday night before facing the hosting Cougars and Centenary University Saturday.


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