NEW PALTZ, NY – The SUNY New Paltz women's volleyball team battled back from a two-set deficit Tuesday night at the Hawk Center, forcing visiting Montclair State University to a decisive fifth set before ultimately falling, 3-2.
The Red Hawks jumped ahead early, taking the opening set, 25-13, before SUNY New Paltz began finding its rhythm in the second. The Hawks put together a four-point run behind consecutive kills from Maria Weigand, followed by kills from Lexi Stragalas and Genevieve Boyle, to take a 7-4 advantage. Montclair State answered, however, eventually building a 15-11 lead and holding off a late Hawks push to take the second, 25-20.
Facing a two-set deficit, SUNY New Paltz responded with its strongest offensive performance of the night in the third, hitting .269 with 11 kills while holding Montclair State to a -.091 hitting percentage.
The Hawks erased an early 6-1 deficit and steadily worked their way back, eventually pulling even at 11 following a Montclair State attacking error. After the Red Hawks briefly regained a 12-11 advantage, Christine Balbona put away a kill to bring SUNY New Paltz level and send Courtney Meyer to the service line.
Meyer helped completely swing the set. She registered three service aces during a six-point Hawks run, while Tess Egan added a solo block as SUNY New Paltz surged ahead, 17-12. The Hawks continued to create separation from there, with Boyle, Stragalas and Weigand contributing down the stretch before Balbona finished off the 25-16 set victory with a kill.
SUNY New Paltz carried that momentum into a back-and-forth fourth set. Neither side created much separation early, with the teams battling through ties at 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17 and 18.
With the score knotted at 18, Balbona broke the tie with a kill before consecutive Montclair State attacking errors pushed the Hawks ahead, 21-18. The Red Hawks pulled within one at 21-20, but SUNY New Paltz responded again. Balbona connected for another kill, Boyle followed with one of her own and another Montclair State attacking error brought up set point at 24-20.
After the Red Hawks stayed alive for one more rally, Boyle put away the final kill of the fourth, 25-21, completing the Hawks' comeback from two sets down and forcing a decisive fifth.
Montclair State regained control in the final frame. After SUNY New Paltz pulled ahead 2-1 on a block from Egan and Nora Keating, the Red Hawks answered with five straight points and eventually stretched their advantage to 12-3 before closing out the match, 15-5.
Despite the result, SUNY New Paltz held a 12-7 advantage in blocks while the teams were separated by just one kill, with Montclair State holding a 45-44 edge. The Red Hawks did their most significant damage from the service line, finishing with 16 aces compared to nine for the Hawks.
Balbona, Stragalas and Boyle paced a balanced SUNY New Paltz attack with nine kills apiece. Balbona was especially efficient, committing just one error on 15 attempts to hit .533 while adding four total blocks.
Egan anchored the Hawks at the net with eight total blocks, including two solo stops, while Keating added five. Jordyn Lewis led the defensive effort with 22 digs, followed by Weigand with 18. Kim Braun registered a double-double with 21 assists and 16 digs, while Elena Savage chipped in 17 assists.
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