Box Score Union, NJ – All season the only goal for the State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team was becoming a national champion. And, after an up-and-down season, no team in the nation finished stronger than the Hawks.
 
At championship point, SUNY New Paltz junior setter Matthew Grace knew he was going to go to one of his two seniors. Fittingly, he went to the team's only four-year member, the only player left from its 2016 National Championship squad, in First-Team All-American Nick Smith. Smith went up and solidified what the Hawks have been striving for since its last taste of a national title — its second. The Smith kill closed out a 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-15) win over the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs Friday at Kean University and made SUNY New Paltz's goal become reality. 
 
"We kind of felt it like three points leading up to it," said Grace of his team's championship aspirations slowly coming to fruition. "Every time we brought it in in the huddle after a point we all gave each other a nice little smile, because we knew what was just about to happen. When the ball came over I knew I had to set one of the seniors, so I set Nicky and never do this, but I said, 'come on Nicky' and he put it down and it was just euphoria after that. It's something that none of us will ever forget."
 
The Hawks (28-7 overall) started the national title game slow, as the Bananas Slugs (21-17) opened up with a 5-0 lead, resulting in SUNY New Paltz's first timeout of the game by coach Radu Petrus. The result was three-straight points led by Nick O'Malley, as he added a kill and a block in the stretch for the Hawks.

Despite the rally and fighting back to tie twice, SUNY New Paltz never took control of the set and dropped the first, 25-23.
 
"Even though they went on a five-point run to start the game we never really lost composure… it's something we've been saying throughout this run through the NCAA Tournament and UVC Tournament is that it's our time," Grace said. "We haven't really lost composure to anything and we actually ended up battling back."
 
The Hawks brushed off the slow start and slowly turned the game into a dominant performance through sets two-through-four. They made sure not to get behind in the second frame, feeding the hot hand of junior outside Aaron Carrk, who registered nine kills in the first set alone en route to a career-high 19 kills.

Smith and O'Malley teamed up for a big double block to put their team just three points away from grabbing the second set win. The Slugs made a late rally, cutting the score to 22-16 and then 23-17, but O'Malley put SUNY New Paltz at set-point after slamming a spike straight down over the net for the kill. Carrk made sure to end any Slugs hope of a late comeback, hammering a set by Grace for the second-set win.
 
"We were just on a mission," Carrk said. "Our whole team was on a mission. Since the beginning of the season we've been waiting for this moment and I wanted to bring it for us… Everyone that has played, they've put in their absolute best effort, so I felt like I had to put in my absolute best effort in these last few games and help us reach our goal for the season."
 
SUNY New Paltz got out in front early in set three as well, but UC Santa Cruz continued trimming the lead, getting within two at 10-8 after a bad set by Grace. The junior captain didn't make many mistakes throughout his career let alone in the game, and immediately made up for the play the very next point, putting up a beautiful set to Smith to add to SUNY New Paltz's tally.

The Slugs gained back a point, but the Hawks answered with a 3-0 run started by a Bradley Schneider kill, as the senior co-captain flew in from the back row to register the point for his team. O'Malley added on, rifling a free ball back onto UC Santa Cruz's side to boost the advantage to 13-9. O'Malley and Carrk then capped the run with another block, putting the Hawks in front, 14-9.
 
UC Santa Cruz called a timeout at 17-10, trying to regroup and get back into the set, but SUNY New Paltz made sure to not let any pressure off. Carrk and O'Malley teamed up again out of the break, soaring up for another block, which fired up the bench and the traveling home crowd littered behind them.
 
"They have a very large block. Their middles are big and they close out well, so a lot of the swings where I was taking last night weren't blocked and today they just blocked it… Credit to them," said Slugs senior middle blocker Raymond Cascio. "Their block was really good. They got hands on things and they also got blocks. I thought we played well, but it just wasn't our night."
 
UC Santa Cruz went on a mini-run to trim the deficit to 24-17 late in the set, but Carrk put the finishing touches on the 25-17 win to give his team the lead.
 
"Aaron throughout this whole tournament played unbelievable and that was key for us," said Smith. "He's been so consistent with his serving, blocking, spiking, I mean he is unbelievable in this tournament and I can't be more proud. One through 19 of my brothers, it was a great team win throughout this whole tournament."
 
The fourth began as a back-and-forth battle with SUNY New Paltz eyeing the championship trophy know placed at the scorers table. The two teams were tied seven times to start until the Hawks gained a two-point advantage following a Schneider kill and a block by Smith.
 
Trailing 13-10, UC Santa Cruz called a timeout, but that still couldn't slow down SUNY New Paltz, which went on its largest run of the set to really tighten their grasp on the win.
 
The Slugs hit an attempt at the net to push the Hawks up 14-10, with O'Malley following with a big swing and kill. Another miss-hit by the Slugs was followed by a double block by Carrk and O'Malley once again. O'Malley then capped off the surge with another kill to boost SUNY New Paltz ahead, 18-10.
 
The Slugs cut into the lead slightly, gaining back two points at 23-15, but there was no way of stopping the Hawks once they had championship-point.
 
"Credit to them," said Slugs senior outside Kyle Donohoe. "I thought they made a lot of great adjustments. I think they picked up their serves on us like crazy. I think they came out a little bit nervous and then after losing the first set they really settled into their game and started swinging more aggressively. They started serving really well. It's not so much that we dropped off, I think it's more they picked up their game and we didn't adjust fast enough."
 
A service error officially put SUNY New Paltz a point away from its second National Championship and it wasn't going to let the opportunity linger. Grace served the game-winning point, with the Slugs sending the ball back over. Schneider had the dig and Grace sent his set toward the other side of the court for Smith, who found the gap and slammed his kill down to make program history, becoming the first and only two-time National Champion at SUNY New Paltz. 
 
"It definitely feels great, but it was more about that team," Smith said. "It's all about the team. That was what I was thinking about. It feels great to get that second National Championship. Bitter sweet."
 
In an incredible performance, Carrk was rightfully named NCAA Tournament MVP. He not only totaled a game- and- career-high 19 kills, but hit a staggering .452, while adding four blocks and three digs.
 
"Aaron? [Played] over my expectations," Petrus said. "He was good, because we were looking for a balance between area four and area two, especially they know I call area two "gold area." If we dominate area two, then we have a big chance to win. So we dominate today."
 
O'Malley, battling a back injury all season long and was thought to potentially miss the rest of the season after going down during a regular season game at Stevens Institute of Technology, was pivotal in both the championship and semifinal game for the Hawks. He finished with 10 kills, seven blocks, while hitting .316.
 
"Sometimes it's about inspiration and I tried to put the best players in," Petrus said. "I was confident after we beat Stevens and O'Malley was coming back all the time and I [said] he deserves to start today. I see O'Malley was a little nervous and trying to do too much and sometimes under pressure he started to miss a few balls, but to the end he did well."

Grace led his team with 53 assists on the night, while Smith followed Carrk offensively with 13 kills, while hitting .310. Schneider also finished in double-figure kills, totaling 13. As a team SUNY New Paltz hit .362 on the night to just .078 for the Slugs in a dominating performance.
 
"It was kind of tough in the middle there, but then everything started coming back together toward playoffs and then we just had the belief," said Grace, reflecting back on what came of the Hawks' magical 2019 run. "I keep on going back to saying that we believed and everything, and it's true. We just came together on that belief and it just brought us closer together and we got it done."

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