WELLESLEY, MA- The SUNY New Paltz women’s volleyball team defeated Bates, 3-0 in the first game of the Wellesley College Tournament by the scores of 25-11, 25-19, 25-20. The Hawks have won a season high nine straight and 17 of 18 games.
The Hawks scored early and often in game one, using serving runs from Dana Kindelmann (Nesconset, NY) and Stephanie Bova (Central Square, NY) to take a 13-6 lead. A second run from Kindelmann stretched the lead to 21-9 as the Hawks cruised to a 25-11 win.
The Hawks took a slight edge early in set two, using a short run from Melinda DiGiovanna (West Hempstead, NY) to take a 7-3 lead. Bates stayed close, trading sideouts until four straight points from Olivia Schow trimmed the lead to 20-19. But the Hawks answered by winning the next five points to seal the 25-19 set win.
In game three, the Hawks once again jumped out early, taking a 6-0 lead before Bates got on the board. New Paltz extended the lead to 14-7 on a run from Stephanie Skrobach (Webster, NY), but the Bobcats battled back with three straight from Schow and two from Eliza Pyne to trim the lead to 22-18. The Hawks stopped the bleeding with two more serving points from Skrobach and held on for the 25-20 win.
The Hawks were led by Brittany Coyle (Middletown, NY) with nine kills and five blocks. Alison Kiernan (New Hyde Park, NY) tallied seven kills with Bova dishing out 25 assists. Loren Crabbe (Ballston Lake, NY) was the digs leader, recording 11 in the match, while Kindelmann added five blocks for the Hawks. Bova and DiGiovanna added two service aces a piece in the victory.
For Bates, Grace Haessler led all players with 27 assists, while also picking up 10 digs. Nicole Russell had a match-high 18 digs while Liz Leberman and Tess Dokus recorded totals of seven and six kills. Pyne picked up three blocks, while Avery Masters contributed two.
Bates falls to 9-7 overall.
The Hawks improve to 19-5 overall and return to the court tomorrow at 10 am against Endicott, 12 pm against Bridgewater State and Wellesley at 4 pm to finish up the tournament.
