PROVIDENCE, RI — The New Paltz men’s volleyball team won the first ever Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Saturday night in Providence, RI. The Hawks defeated host Johnson & Wales 3-1 in the semi-finals and swept Roger Williams in the championship 3-0. The win in the finals also marks New Paltz’s 20th victory of the year.
The Hawks entered the four-team tournament as the top seed and felt confident of their chances. New Paltz had previously defeated each of the other three competing teams, Rivier, Johnson & Wales, and Roger Williams.
In the semis, New Paltz split the first two games with the Wildcats from Johnson & Wales before the Hawks took command in the last two games for the 3-1 win (30-24, 27-30, 30-18, 30-20). Sean Riley (Port Jefferson, NY) led the Hawks with a triple double in the match finishing with 16 kills, 10 digs, and 16 blocks. Beau Warren (Canandaigua, NY) added 16 kills, and 15 assists, while Chris Ganje (Rexford, NY) contributed 11 kills, and Jim Cramer (New Oxford, PA) added 37 assists.
In the other semi-final, the Roger Williams Hawks defeated the Raiders from Rivier in four games to set up the championship finale against New Paltz. Roger Williams and New Paltz had faced each other three times over the course of the season. The Hawks from RWU took the first match, but New Paltz exacted revenge beating them in the finals of their own tournament, and later sweeping them 3-0 at Elting gym a week later. It was much the same this time around as the Hawks raced out to an 8-2 lead in game one and held on for a 30-25 win. Game two was a bit tighter as the score was tied at nineteen before the Hawks crept away for a 30- 26 win. In game three, Roger Williams played come-from- behind all game and got the lead cut to one, but New Paltz was not to be denied outlasting RWU 30-26 to take the coveted crown. Beau Warren missed a triple double in the final by one kill as he finished with 10 digs, 13 assists, and 9 kills. Sean Riley finished with 9 kills, 7 blocks, and 10 digs and was named ECAC Tournament Most Valuable Player in his final match in a Hawk uniform. Ganje finished the match with 10 kills, and 9 digs, Mike La Rocco (Hauppauge, NY) added 9 kills, and 14 digs, and Cramer contributed 29 assists.
The Hawks close out the year at 20-16, winners of nine of their last twelve matches.
