Hawks Win Three of Five Matches in Conference Opener

PLATTSBURGH, NY — After two days and five matches, the SUNY New Paltz women’s volleyball team went 3-2 against its SUNYAC Eastern Division opponents.

The Hawks registered wins over Plattsburgh, SUNYIT, and Potsdam to leave the competition in third place. New Paltz is two games behind first place Cortland and a game behind second place Oneonta in the SUNYAC East. The Hawks suffered 3-0 losses to both Cortland and Oneonta.

The Hawks opened the event with an impressive 3-1 victory over Plattsburgh. After splitting the first two games, New Paltz took control of the match with a 30-22 win in game three and a 30-21 triumph in the fourth game. Sophomore outside hitter Andrea Kaiser (Blue Point, NY) had 16 kills and 10 digs and sophomore outside hitter Christina Mazurowksi (Tonawanda, NY) added 10 kills and four blocks to give New Paltz its first win over the Cardinals since 1999.

New Paltz concluded the first day with a 3-0 loss to Cortland. After taking a tight 30-28 first game from the Hawks, Cortland won the second game 30-16 and put the match away with a 30-24 win in game three. Mazurowski had seven kills in the loss. Freshman right side hitter Franchesca Rodriguez (Schenectady, NY) added nine digs and four kills.

The Hawks regrouped for the second day, and came out with a 3-1 win against SUNYIT. After splitting the first two games, New Paltz used a 30-19 win in game three and a 30-25 win in the fourth to take the match. Mazurowski led a balanced attack with 10 kills, a .474 hitting percentage, and four service aces. Junior outside hitter Christina Butcher (North Salem, NY) had seven kills and six digs, and junior defensive specialist Denee Miggins (Kingston, NY) had a team-best 13 digs.

New Paltz struggled in their fourth match and lost 3-0 to Oneonta. The Hawks hit .160 for the match and were outscored 30-14, 30-23, 30-24.

New Paltz seized its opportunity move above the .500 mark with a pair of tight victories in the first two games against Potsdam. The Hawks were 31-29 and 30-28 winners in the first two games before taking the match with a convincing 30-16 win in game three. Kaiser registered a team-high eight kills and a .320 hitting percentage.

The second round of the Eastern Division schedule will be played on Oct. 24-25 at New Paltz. The Hawks, 9-13 overall, will host Cortland, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, and SUNYIT to determine the top three teams in the Eastern Division Standings. The top three teams in the SUNYAC East will advance along with the top three teams in the SUNYAC West to the conference tournament on Nov. 7-8 at the site of the Eastern Division champion.