Your New Paltz Men’s Volleyball Team is heating up — and just in time, too.
On Saturday, Feb. 5, New Paltz had back to back games against Ramapo College and SUNY Polytechnic Institute, right here in Hawk Center; and they dominated.
The day kicked off with Ramapo at 11 a.m., who would prove to be a worthy opponent. The Hawks, however, went on an early scoring streak at the cause of Roadrunner service and attack errors. New Paltz was able to keep a steady lead after that.
The seniors on the team contributed with many kills. Fourth-year middle blocker John Ronan, and fourth-years outside hitters Chris Shanley and Brendan Spulnick all helped keep New Paltz on top. The lead, though, was threatened when Ramapo went on a rampage of their own. A kill and several errors brought the score from 19-13, Hawks, to 19-18.
New Paltz recovered from that due to heroic efforts from Spulnick, third-year middle blocker Pat Wing and first-year opposite Evan Kane. They seemed in good shape again, until the set was tied at 24-24. New Paltz broke the tie, but needing to win a set by two, it was dragged out until the final score was 29-27, Hawks.
Set two and three were much smoother for the Hawks. New Paltz kept a large lead for the majority of set two, mainly due to their offensive work. In the third, New Paltz showed a similar attitude to win the game 3-0. Just a few hours later, they’d play again. Were the Hawks able to keep their stamina?
They were. In similar fashion, New Paltz took down SUNY Poly in just three sets.
They started strong, with even more kills from the seniors and a service ace from the team. Fourth-year outside hitter Tim Drake got some action, as well as fourth-year setter Cam Clark. With all the hard work New Paltz was showing, they had the score at 23-10, putting them just two points away from a set one victory.
Poly snuck a few more points in, but the Hawks still took the set with an enormous lead, 25-13.
New Paltz took the first three points in the second, setting the tone. They stayed smart and patient, even when Poly tied the set or got a point or two ahead. In the end, second-year middle blocker Adam Brawn finished off the set 25-21 with a kill.
Whereas earning the first three points during the last set was impressive, during the final set of the day New Paltz took the first seven out of nine points. Three of those came from team service aces. First-year outside hitter Carter Lotz added a couple kills to the score, and so did second-year opposite Nathan Petrik.
New Paltz ended set three 25-20, defeating Poly for the eighth time in a row. The winning end of the double header signified the third New Paltz victory in a row. Considering the next game they play is their first in the conference, this is a great time to start winning.
Don’t miss New Paltz hosting St. Joseph’s College, Thursday Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. at our home center.
