NEWARK, NJ – The State University of New York New Paltz women's volleyball team closed out its inaugural New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) regular-season slate on a winning note Tuesday evening, defeating Rutgers-Newark in four sets (23-25, 25-14, 25-14, 25-19) at The Golden Dome.
The Hawks (10-17 overall, 1-7 NJAC) overcame a narrow opening-set defeat before taking control of the match behind a balanced offensive effort and strong play at the service line. SUNY New Paltz finished with a 48-25 advantage in kills and registered 15 service aces, while holding the Scarlet Raiders (9-13 overall, 0-7 NJAC) to a .022 hitting percentage.
The opening set remained tightly contested throughout, with neither side able to establish a commanding advantage early. Rutgers-Newark eventually created separation with a four-point run to take a 22-18 lead, but SUNY New Paltz refused to go quietly. A kill from Nora Keating sparked a four-point response, highlighted by a Courtney Meyer service ace and a Genevieve Boyle kill that evened the score at 23. The Scarlet Raiders, however, answered with consecutive points to escape with a 25-23 victory.
The Hawks responded emphatically in the second set, opening the frame with 10 unanswered points behind the serving of Courtney Meyer. The senior recorded two aces during the stretch, while Christine Balbona supplied three kills to help the Hawks establish an early double-digit advantage.
Rutgers-Newark eventually trimmed the deficit to six at 16-10, but SUNY New Paltz regained control behind consecutive kills from Balbona, extending its lead to 20-11. A Lexi Stragalas service ace brought up set point before Lola Konopa finished the frame with a kill off a feed from Kim Braun, securing a 25-14 victory and evening the match.
The Hawks continued their momentum into the third set, jumping ahead 5-1 behind back-to-back service aces from Jordyn Lewis. Although Rutgers-Newark fought back to even the score at five, SUNY New Paltz answered with another surge, highlighted by two Stragalas aces and a solo block from Keating to take an 11-6 advantage.
The Scarlet Raiders remained within striking distance at 13-10, but the Hawks gradually pulled away. Leading 17-12, SUNY New Paltz rattled off six consecutive points with Lewis at the service line, receiving kills from Stragalas and Konopa along with a Konopa block to extend its advantage to 23-12. Braun later capped the set with an ace, giving the Hawks another 25-14 victory and a two-set-to-one lead.
The fourth set proved more competitive, as SUNY New Paltz built an early 7-3 advantage behind consecutive aces from Braun before Rutgers-Newark responded with five unanswered points to take an 8-7 lead. The teams traded points through the middle stages until the Hawks regained control.
With SUNY New Paltz holding a narrow 15-13 advantage, Stragalas delivered consecutive kills to help create separation. The Hawks later turned a 17-14 lead into a 21-14 cushion behind another Braun service ace and kills from Stragalas and Keating.
Rutgers-Newark managed to close the gap late, but Konopa and Keating delivered timely kills to keep the Scarlet Raiders at bay. A Rutgers-Newark service error ultimately sealed the 25-19 victory and the four-set win for SUNY New Paltz.
Balbona led the Hawks offensively with a match-high 14 kills, hitting an efficient .385 with just four errors on 26 attempts. Stragalas followed with 12 kills, 14 digs and three service aces, while Konopa contributed 11 kills and four total blocks.
Braun directed the offense with 39 assists, adding 13 digs and four aces. Lewis anchored the defensive effort with a team-high 19 digs and five service aces, while Meyer chipped in 10 digs and three aces.
SUNY New Paltz held an 81-65 advantage in digs and an 8-2 edge in team blocks, complementing its balanced offensive performance. The victory also marked the program's first NJAC win since joining the conference this fall.
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