The New York University men's volleyball team was defeated by SUNY New Paltz in a United Volleyball Conference (UVC) match-up on Friday, March 15, at NYU's Brooklyn Athletic Facility.
In a battle for first place in the conference, NYU (9-8, 5-2) took the first set 25-23, but dropped the second set by the same score. New Paltz (15-6, 6-0), currently ranked #9 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), captured the third set 25-19 and clinched the match with a 25-21 victory.
New Paltz scored the first point of the match, but NYU ran off four straight after that and never trailed again in the opening set. The Violets broke a 12-12 tie by scoring the next three points and led the rest of the way.
The Hawks got off to a quick start in the second set, recording the first five points. They maintained the lead throughout, but the Violets made a late charge. Trailing 24-19, the hosts reeled off four straight points. But after a New Paltz timeout, the Hawks' Nick Smith recorded a kill to clinch the set for the visitors.
Neither team managed more than a two-point lead early in the pivotal third set. However, with the score tied 11-11, the Hawks ran off a four-point streak and NYU never got closer than two points the rest of the set.
The Hawks never trailed in the final set. They scored the first two points and grabbed several four-point leads. The Violets drew to within two on several occasions, the final time at 22-20. But, New Paltz scored the next two points and finally secured the match on a kill by Aaron Carrk.
"We're both power teams," Head Coach
Jose Pina explained. "They served better than us. They put us in more trouble than we were able to put them in. The key to this match was at the service line, and that's where they beat us."
Alex Li led NYU with 12 kills.
Connor Keowen had 10 digs, while
Matin Bikdeli recorded 39 asissts.
Evan Lindley contributed eight kills while only committing one error on 12 attempts for a sparkling .583 hitting percentage.
The Violets are right back in action tomorrow when they host another UVC opponent, Bard College, at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility. First serve on Senior Day is set for 12:00pm.
