New Paltz Defeats Lancaster Bible and 15th-Ranked Baruch
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – An outstanding day defensively by the State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team's (17-10) back row helped the Hawks sweep a pair of matches on the second and final day of the Vassar Tournament on Saturday, besting Lancaster Bible College, 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-23), before topping No. 15 Baruch College, 3-1 (26-24, 25-16, 23-25, 25-22).
Against Lancaster Bible, sophomore outside hitter Victor Tuminelli (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) floored a match-high 12 kills and added seven digs to lead the Hawks. Three New Paltz players registered double-digit dig totals, as sophomore outside hitter Brian O'Connor (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland), sophomore setter/outside hitter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and senior opposite Mike Van Tyne (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) had 14, 12 and 10, respectively. For the match, the Hawks had 60 digs to Lancaster Bible's 25. Smith played the entirety of the match as the team's setter and dished out 32 assists.
New Paltz avenged its loss to Baruch from a few weeks ago by beating the nationally-ranked Bearcats in four sets. Tuminelli once again led the Hawks in kills with 10, while sophomore setter Misa Garo (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) handed out 47 assists. Defensively, Garo and Smith had 11 and 10 digs, respectively, while O'Connor collected three block assists.