The State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz women’s volleyball fell to Brockport and Geneseo this past weekend, extending their losing streak to three games.
The Hawks came off of a 3-0 loss to the Cortland Red Dragons on Oct. 5 for their final match of a nine-game road trip. The team finally returned home to begin a five-game home stretch, facing off against the Brockport Golden Eagles on Friday evening.
The Hawks fell behind early in the match’s first set, facing a 16-10 deficit. The team rallied a comeback, scoring seven consecutive points to gain a 17-16 advantage over the Eagles. Surprisingly, Brockport came right back and gave New Paltz a taste of their own medicine, holding New Paltz to a mere two points for the rest of the set as they thundered to a 25-19 win.
The second set was an improvement, with the Hawks and Eagles fighting to a 23-23 tie. Victory was in New Paltz’s grasp, but a service error from fourth-year Maddie Van Pelt and an attack error from third-year Demi Herasme cemented the 25-23 win for Brockport.
New Paltz lit the afterburners for the game’s third set as they rocketed to a 25-8 win, helped by five kills from Van Pelt and service aces from fourth-year Nicole Fellone and Van Pelt, respectively.
It was too little too late for the women in blue, however, as the Eagles in gold took a 25-23 match win and the 3-1 team victory. It was the Lady Hawks’ first loss at home since Oct. 24, 2018.
New Paltz hoped to turn their fortunes around for their Pink Out Game, to raise breast cancer awareness, on Saturday afternoon as they confronted the Geneseo Knights.
The first set did not spell positive fortunes for the Hawks as the Knights took the 25-18 win and the 1-0 match lead. Not wanting a repeat of the previous game, New Paltz mustered some strength and pulled away to a 14-10 set advantage. The Knights returned the favor, soon tying the Hawks 16-16, but the home team would prove victorious, putting up a 25-21 set win.
New Paltz had a cracking start in set three, with a 14-8 lead that proved insurmountable for Oswego. The Hawks got the 25-23 set win, and victory was in sight.
Despite the Hawks leading 6-1 and 14-11 in the fourth set, they collapsed late as the Knights scored nine points in a row at the end of the set to win 25-17. The game would come down to the wire for a tiebreaking fifth set.
Unfortunately, New Paltz let the win slip out of their hands as Geneseo took a commanding 10-4 lead early and closed out the set 15-10 by the skin of their teeth despite a late rally from the Hawks. The win put Geneseo at 11-9 for the season and the Hawks at 8-10. It was New Paltz’s third consecutive loss and their first losing streak against SUNYAC opponents this season. On a positive note, fourth-year Emily Visintini scored four aces and Van Pelt put up 18 kills.
The Hawks will look to turn their fortunes around with two home games this weekend, facing the Potsdam Bears on Friday at 6 p.m. and the Plattsburgh Cardinals on Saturday at 1 p.m.
