SCRANTON, PA – The State University of New York New Paltz women's volleyball team wrapped up a two-match non-conference slate Saturday afternoon at the Marywood University Tri-Match, falling in straight sets to host Marywood and Clarkson University at Insalaco Arena.
The Hawks (10-19 overall) opened the afternoon against the Pacers, falling in three competitive sets, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-23, before dropping their second matchup against the Golden Knights, 25-9, 25-14 and 25-9.
Match One: Marywood 3, SUNY New Paltz 0
SUNY New Paltz opened the afternoon with a competitive first set against Marywood, taking an early 8-6 advantage behind kills from Nora Keating, Genevieve Boyle and Lexi Stragalas.
The Pacers responded to take a 12-10 lead before the Hawks battled back to even the frame at 15 following a block from Lola Konopa. Marywood then rattled off seven consecutive points to establish a 22-15 advantage, but SUNY New Paltz refused to concede the set.
Trailing 24-20, the Hawks strung together three straight points, highlighted by consecutive kills from Tess Egan and Boyle, to trim the deficit to one. However, Marywood secured the final point to escape with the opening frame, 25-23.
The Pacers carried their momentum into the second set, jumping ahead 14-7 before SUNY New Paltz mounted another comeback effort. Kills from Stragalas, Konopa and Keating brought the Hawks within three, while a combined block from Egan and Regan Moeykens, followed by a Moeykens kill, trimmed the deficit to 19-17.
Marywood answered with four consecutive points to regain control and eventually secured the second frame, 25-20.
The third set featured another back-and-forth battle, with neither side able to establish much separation early. The Pacers eventually built a 16-11 lead, but SUNY New Paltz continued to chip away at the deficit.
Boyle sparked the comeback with a service ace, while Kaylee DeGroat delivered two late kills to help the Hawks erase the deficit. DeGroat gave SUNY New Paltz a 21-20 advantage, and consecutive Marywood attacking errors extended the lead to 23-21.
The Pacers responded with four unanswered points, however, completing the comeback to take the third set, 25-23, and secure the sweep.
Boyle led SUNY New Paltz with eight kills and nine digs, while Keating added seven kills and Stragalas contributed six. Jordyn Lewis anchored the defensive effort with a match-high 20 digs, while Elena Savage dished out 17 assists.
Match Two: Clarkson 3, SUNY New Paltz 0
The Hawks returned to the court for their second contest of the afternoon against Clarkson, but the Golden Knights established control early behind an efficient offensive performance and aggressive serving.
Clarkson jumped ahead 8-3 in the opening set before SUNY New Paltz attempted to settle into the frame. Keating and Egan each recorded early kills, while Lexi Stragalas and Genevieve Carson combined for a block to keep the Hawks within striking distance.
However, the Golden Knights extended their advantage with a sustained scoring run, building an 18-6 lead before eventually claiming the opening set, 25-9.
SUNY New Paltz found more offensive production in the second set, recording eight kills and improving its hitting percentage to .115. Clarkson maintained the advantage, however, taking the frame 25-14 to move within one set of the sweep.
The Golden Knights continued their offensive efficiency in the third, recording 15 kills on a .406 hitting percentage to close out the contest, 25-9.
DeGroat paced the Hawks with five kills, while Keating followed with three. Braun and Egan each added two kills, with Braun also recording SUNY New Paltz's lone service ace.
Defensively, Jacklyn Bitter led the Hawks with seven digs, followed by Savage with six and Boyle with five. Savage added five assists, while Braun and Bitter each contributed four.
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