Poughkeepsie, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team wrapped up its regular season Monday as it traveled to Vassar College with the United Volleyball Conference regular season championship on the line. The match went to the wire, with the Hawks taking it in five sets (25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 25-27, 15-11).
 
The victory ended their COVID-19 shortened regular season with a 6-3 record. It also improved their UVC record to 6-2, putting them at the top of the conference standings.
 
Three New Paltz players finished with double-digit kills, with Aaron Carrk, Brendan Spulnick, and Nick O'Malley totaling 22, 19, and 12, respectively. Star setter Matthew Grace ended with a whopping 58 assists en route to the victory.
The Hawks got off to strong start, as they led 11-7 before the Brewers took the first timeout of the game. The stoppage worked well for Vassar, who scored five of six points to tie it up at 12. Two attack errors and two kills gave SUNY New Paltz four straight points to go up 16-12. The Hawks were able to stave off a couple Brewer runs, winning the first set 25-21 with a Carrk kill from Grace.
 
SUNY New Paltz picked up where it left off in the second set, opening on a 5-1 run. Vassar responded with four straight points to tie the score at five, leading to a Hawks timeout. It was a back and forth finish to the set, with the game tying up again at 8, 10, 11, 12,  18, 19, and 22. From the tie at 22, an O'Malley kill and a couple attack errors made the score 24-23 SUNY New Paltz, and a Brewer serve went long to give the Hawks a win in set number two.
 
"We played well in the first two sets, with good offensive strategy," said Hawks coach Radu Petrus.
 
One set away from the one seed, SUNY New Paltz wasn't able to put it away for a while. The third set started strong for the Hawks, as they led 12-10 at the first timeout. The Brewers went on a dominating run out of the time, scoring six straight to lead 16-12. From there, Vassar stayed strong, stretching the lead to 23-19. SUNY New Paltz did its best to end the match, scoring four of five points to make the score, 24-23, but a Spulnick error ended the set in Vassar's favor.
 
The fourth set was a thriller, going back and forth throughout. Neither team led by more than two through the entire set, leading up to a 23-23 score. A Spulnick kill out of a Brewer timeout made it match point for the Hawks, leading Vassar to talk things over again. After the stop, a service error from Carrk tied it back up at 24. After a Brewer kill, Pat Wing extended the set with a kill of his own to tie it up at 25. It wasn't enough however, and Vassar ended up winning the set 27-25.  
"Sets three and four we had difficulty with serve receive. Vassar serve worked well in those sets," said Petrus. "I was a little bit mad and told them to follow the team strategy and court discipline."
 
With the prospect of an easier win out the window, SUNY New Paltz had to clamp down in the fifth and final set. The Hawks went down 3-1 early, but followed it by taking five of six points to go up 6-4. From there, SUNY New Paltz never let Vassar tie the set up again, winning the set and the match on an attack error by the Brewers.
 
The Hawks win meant they won the UVC Regular Season Championship, and will be the top seed in the upcoming UVC tournament. 
 
"It is a difficult season for our squad, but I know we have a better chance to win the conference," said Petrus.
 
SUNY New Paltz will start the postseason at 4 p.m. on Friday, playing No. 4 Nazareth College in the UVC semifinals at Elmira College. The winner will face the winner of No. 2 Vassar vs. No. 3 St. John Fisher on Sunday.
 
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