NEW PALTZ, NY – The SUNY New Paltz Women's Volleyball team opened its 2026 campaign in winning fashion Tuesday night, taking down Western Connecticut State University in four sets, 25-8, 19-25, 25-18, 25-15, inside the Hawk Center.
The Hawks put together an efficient offensive performance in their season debut, hitting .302 as a team with 45 kills compared to just 22 from the Wolves. SUNY New Paltz also held the advantage in assists, 41-19, digs, 54-40, service aces, 12-10, and blocks, 4-0.
SUNY New Paltz wasted little time setting the tone in the opening set. After WestConn took the first point, Nora Keating put away the first kill of the season to even the score before Genevieve Boyle stepped behind the service line and helped completely break the set open.
The Hawks rattled off nine consecutive points with Boyle serving, getting kills from Lola Konopa, Keating, Maria Weigand and Jordyn Lewis while Boyle added three aces during the run to quickly establish a 10-1 advantage.
SUNY New Paltz never allowed the Wolves back into the frame. Elena Savage added an ace and Weigand helped keep the attack rolling before the Hawks closed the set on six straight points. Konopa and Boyle each registered kills during the final push before Keating emphatically finished off the dominant opening frame, 25-8.
The Hawks were nearly flawless offensively in the first, putting down 12 kills without committing an attacking error on just 17 attempts for a blistering .706 hitting percentage.
WestConn responded in the second and turned an early SUNY New Paltz advantage into its first sustained run of the night. After the Hawks went ahead, 6-3, the Wolves answered with eight unanswered points to establish an 11-6 lead.
SUNY New Paltz attempted to battle its way back into the frame, with Kim Braun providing a spark from the service line. Braun recorded a pair of aces during a four-point Hawks run that cut the deficit to 17-13, but WestConn answered and maintained enough separation down the stretch to even the match with a 25-19 second-set victory.
With the match tied at one set apiece, SUNY New Paltz regained its footing in the third. The Hawks settled back into their attack and combined 10 kills with a strong defensive effort, forcing seven WestConn attacking errors while limiting the Wolves to a -.027 hitting percentage in the frame.
SUNY New Paltz used the third-set response to retake control of the match, earning a 25-18 victory and moving one set away from its first win of the season.
SUNY New Paltz saved its second-most efficient offensive performance of the night for the fourth, putting away 14 kills against just one attacking error on 24 attempts for a .542 hitting percentage. The Hawks established control and never allowed WestConn to create the type of run that swung the second set, closing out the Wolves, 25-15, to secure the 3-1 season-opening victory.
Maria Weigand paced a balanced SUNY New Paltz attack with 10 kills while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Keating and Boyle followed closely behind with nine kills apiece, with Keating hitting .471 on 17 attempts and Boyle finishing at .350 while adding a match-high six service aces and seven digs. Konopa was nearly automatic when called upon, registering five kills without an error on eight attempts for a .625 hitting percentage.
Braun and Savage split setting duties and combined for 36 assists, with Braun totaling 19 assists and three aces while Savage added 17 assists and two aces. Lewis anchored the defensive effort with a match-high 14 digs while also contributing five assists.
SUNY New Paltz (1-0) will return to action in Virginia Beach, taking on the Marlin Invitational with an opening match against Wisconsin La-Crosse.
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