NEW PALTZ, NY – The State University of New York New Paltz women's volleyball team celebrated Senior Day in dominant fashion Saturday afternoon, earning back-to-back straight-set victories over Brooklyn College and Centenary University inside the Hawk Center.
The Hawks opened their Saturday tri-match with a commanding sweep of Brooklyn College (25-8, 26-24, 25-13) before returning to the court to defeat Centenary University (25-9, 25-21, 25-21), finishing the afternoon without dropping a set.
SUNY New Paltz honored six members of its senior class, recognizing Courtney Meyer, Christine Balbona, Kim Braun, Lexi Stragalas, Lola Konopa and Regan Moeykens for their contributions to the program.
The Hawks combined for 66 kills, 24 service aces and 17 team blocks across the two victories, showcasing their offensive firepower and defensive presence at the net.
Game One: SUNY New Paltz 3, Brooklyn College 0 (25-8, 26-24, 25-13)
SUNY New Paltz wasted little time establishing momentum in the opening set, jumping out to an 8-0 advantage behind the serving of Braun. Genevieve Boyle and Balbona each contributed early kills, while Braun added a service ace to fuel the opening run.
The Hawks continued pouring on the pressure, extending their advantage to 14-1 behind consecutive kills from Balbona, Elena Savage and Boyle. Brooklyn struggled to find an offensive rhythm against the hosts, who registered 13 kills without an attacking error in the opening frame.
Meyer helped put the finishing touches on the dominant first set, recording two late service aces, including the final point, to secure the 25-8 victory. SUNY New Paltz hit an impressive .481 in the opening frame.
Brooklyn responded with a stronger effort in the second set, turning what began as a 4-0 Hawks advantage into a back-and-forth battle. The Bulldogs took their first lead at 8-7 before SUNY New Paltz regained control behind kills from Balbona, Stragalas and Konopa.
The visitors continued challenging the Hawks, building a 13-11 advantage midway through the frame. However, Stragalas and Boyle delivered consecutive kills to even the score before Jordyn Lewis registered back-to-back service aces to push SUNY New Paltz ahead, 15-13.
Neither side could establish separation down the stretch, with Brooklyn eventually taking a 23-20 lead and threatening to even the match. Konopa sparked the Hawks' response with a kill before combining with Stragalas for a block to bring SUNY New Paltz within one. A Brooklyn attacking error leveled the score at 23-all, but the Bulldogs reclaimed the advantage to earn set point.
The Hawks refused to surrender the frame, capitalizing on a Brooklyn service error to even the score at 24 before forcing consecutive attacking errors to complete the comeback, 26-24, and take a commanding two-set advantage.
SUNY New Paltz carried that momentum into the third, opening a 5-1 lead behind consecutive service aces from Meyer. Boyle then took over from the service line, delivering three straight aces as part of a six-point run that extended the Hawks' advantage to 12-3.
The hosts maintained control throughout the remainder of the frame, with Konopa and Tess Egan combining for a block before Egan followed with a kill to push the lead to 16-6.
Balbona added three late kills, while Stragalas and Meyer helped extend the advantage to 22-11. The Hawks closed out the set, 25-13, to secure the straight-set victory.
Balbona led SUNY New Paltz offensively with a match-high 10 kills on a stellar .533 hitting percentage, committing just two errors on 15 attempts. Boyle followed with nine kills and three service aces, while Konopa contributed seven kills and two block assists.
Meyer was a force from the service line, finishing with a match-high six aces, while Lewis added three. Savage orchestrated the offense with 29 assists and eight digs, while Braun anchored the defensive effort with a match-high 16 digs.
SUNY New Paltz finished with a 54-36 advantage in digs and a 35-15 edge in assists.
Game Two: SUNY New Paltz 3, Centenary University 0 (25-9, 25-21, 25-21)
The Hawks carried their momentum into the second match of the afternoon, establishing their presence at the net while limiting Centenary to a negative .040 hitting percentage. SUNY New Paltz totaled 30 kills, 11 service aces and 10 team blocks to complete its Senior Day celebration.
Coach Giufre's squad picked up right where they left off against Brooklyn, storming out to a commanding 10-2 advantage behind an eight-point service run from Meyer. The senior delivered three aces during the stretch, while Balbona and Boyle added consecutive kills to fuel the early surge.
The Hawks continued pouring on the pressure, with Balbona adding another kill before Stragalas connected on consecutive offensive opportunities to extend the advantage to 19-6.
Lewis helped put the finishing touches on the dominant opening set, recording two service aces while Moeykens added a kill to push the lead to 23-8. Boyle followed with a kill to bring up set point before Savage closed out the frame with a kill of her own, securing the 25-9 victory.
Centenary settled down in the second, challenging the Hawks throughout the frame. SUNY New Paltz established an early 9-6 advantage, but the Cyclones battled back to even the score at 11.
Balbona helped spark the hosts' response, delivering consecutive kills before Stragalas followed with another finish to push SUNY New Paltz ahead, 15-11.
The Cyclones continued to battle, trimming the deficit to 17-15 before the Hawks responded with a crucial stretch. Konopa and Moeykens combined for a block to extend the lead to 20-15, giving SUNY New Paltz some breathing room down the stretch.
Konopa followed with a kill before Boyle added consecutive finishes late in the frame, putting the Hawks on the doorstep of a two-set advantage. Centenary managed to pull within three at 24-21, but a service error handed SUNY New Paltz the 25-21 victory.
The Hawks stayed hot into the third, opening an 8-3 advantage behind early contributions from Boyle, Moeykens and Savage.
Centenary refused to go quietly, chipping away at the deficit before eventually taking a 14-13 lead midway through the frame. Meyer quickly answered from the service line, recording an ace to put SUNY New Paltz back in front, 15-14.
The two sides continued trading points until the Hawks found separation late in the set. With the score tied at 17, Savage delivered a kill before Stragalas followed with another finish. Savage then added a service ace, and Moeykens connected on a kill to extend the lead to 21-17.
The Cyclones battled back within one at 21-20, but the Hawks answered with a critical block from Moeykens and Konopa to push their advantage to 23-20.
SUNY New Paltz reached match point at 24-20 before Konopa and Moeykens combined for another block to secure the 25-21 victory and complete the Senior Day sweep.
Stragalas paced the Hawks offensively with a match-high eight kills, while Boyle followed with seven kills and 10 digs. Balbona added six kills on a .308 hitting percentage, contributing a solo block and four digs.
Konopa anchored the defensive effort at the net with eight total blocks, including seven block assists and one solo rejection. Moeykens followed with five block assists and four kills, helping SUNY New Paltz establish a dominant presence along the front line.
Meyer finished with four service aces, bringing her total to 10 across the two Saturday victories, while Braun added three aces and eight digs against Centenary.
Savage orchestrated the Hawks' offense with 24 assists, 10 digs and two kills, while Boyle also finished with 10 digs.
SUNY New Paltz completed its Senior Day celebration with back-to-back straight-set victories, earning six consecutive set wins over Brooklyn College and Centenary University.
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