New Paltz men’s volleyball falls in both matches at Nazareth Tournament

ROCHESTER, NY- The SUNY New Paltz men’s volleyball team falls to Nazareth College and University of California at Santa Cruz in the Nazareth Tournament Friday night.

In the first match against Nazareth College ranked eighth nationally, New Paltz fell 3-1 (28-30, 20-30, 30-25, 30-28). Jake Moore (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) tallied 18 kills and had a .382 hitting percentage and added seven digs. Daniel Liberto (Rush, NY/Rush-Henrietta) also tallied 18 kills with a .583 hitting percentage and Kevin Stross (Port Washington, NY/Schreiber) chipped in with seven kills. Andrew Cassius (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood) handed out 46 assists and added eight digs and Mike Dauernheim (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) added seven digs. New Paltz falls to 8-5 overall.

In the second match against University of California at Santa Cruz ranked second in the nation, New Paltz fell 3-0 (20-30, 28-30, 34-32). Moore led the team with 13 kills with a .524 hitting percentage and Stross added seven kills with a .778 hitting percentage. Cassius handed out 30 assists and had seven digs and Eric Rothbard (Cedarhurst, NY/Lawrence High) added eight digs. Ryan Huberty (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) led the team with three blocks. New Paltz falls to 8-6 overall.

The Hawks return to the court tomorrow for the second day of the Nazareth Tournament against Stevens and Medaille.