Post-Match Press Conference

The New York University men's volleyball team defeated SUNY New Paltz to win its first-ever United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Championship on Saturday, April 15. The match between the second-seeded Violets and fourth-seeded Hawks was hosted by Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY.

The Violets (18-9), ranked #10 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, defeated the #4 Hawks (24-8) in five sets (20-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-27,15-9).

"It was a great performance," said Head Coach Jose Pina. "I'm so happy for our guys, especially our seniors."

NYU quickly fell behind 7-3 in the first set and was unable to recover, losing 25-20. The Violets bounced back the following two sets, winning tight 25-23 and 26-24 decisions to turn the 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 lead. NYU almost closed out New Paltz in the fourth, holding a late 24-23 lead, but ultimately fell 27-25 to send the game to a fifth set, where the Violets controlled the Hawks to win the game 15-9, giving the team the match and their first-ever UVC Championship.

"You start every season with the goal of winning a championship," added Pina. "We faced some adversity this year, losing some players to injury. We battled through it and now we are champions!"

Evan Lindley was named MVP of the Tournament, while teammates Derrick Chiu and Alex Li were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Top Performers:

- Lindley led all players with 19 kills and added three service aces and five digs. 

- Derrick Chiu contributed a team-leading 36 assists and seven digs.

- Ethan Talkov and Neil Ferraro added six and four blocks, respectively.

"This was a culmination of a year's worth of hard work," concluded Pina. "I'm very proud of this group. This is well-deserved!"

NYU's win gives it an automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship. The tournament schedule will be released during the tournament selection show which will take place on Monday, April 17, at 10:00am.