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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- Nazareth's men's volleyball team, seeded fourth in the United Volleyball Conference Tournament, fell to top-seed and host New Paltz in Saturday's semifinal match. The scores of the match were 25-22, 25-22, 25-21. Saturday's match was nearly even, with neither team taking more than a three-point lead until the final point of the third set. The Golden Flyers received 25 combined kills and only four total hitting errors from the senior trio of
Tim Zyburt,
Grant Levermore, and
Chris Mahan.
The winner of the UVC Tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, April 22-24, which is being played at Nazareth College. Nazareth will hope to receive one of two at-large berths into the NCAA Tournament.
Following the loss, the Golden Flyers, who are ranked ninth in the AVCA Coaches Poll, slip to 26-9 overall. With the victory, the Hawks, who are ranked first in the AVCA Poll, improve to 29-2 overall.
Zyburt led Nazareth's attack with 10 kills and two hitting errors. Levermore and Mahan added eight kills and seven kills, respectively. Sophomore setter
Jake Kemp recorded a team-high 26 assists directing the Golden Flyers' offense.
Defensively, Zyburt and junior libero
Tom Keisling each had six digs. Mahan, Levermore, and classmate
Coulton Every each had a pair of assisted blocks at the net.
In the opening set, the Golden Flyers took their first lead of the set, 10-9, following a kill from freshman
Zachary Gillard and a New Paltz error. After slipping behind the Hawks, 13-11, Nazareth rallied for four consecutive points to take a 15-13 lead. Gillard started the short run with a kill while Levermore followed with a service ace, then New Paltz committed back-to-back hitting errors. After trading points, Gillard gave the Golden Flyers the lead again, 20-19, with a service ace. The Hawks answered with five of the next six points to take the first three-point lead of the set, 24-21. New Paltz took the set moments later, 25-22.
Similar to the first set, the teams matched each other's short scoring runs until the final points. After the Hawks claimed a 9-6 edge, Nazareth tied the score 11-11 following three total kills from Zyburt and Levermore and a couple of errors by New Paltz. Trailing 17-14, the Golden Flyers scored the next three points behind an assisted block by Every and Gillard, a kill from Gillard, and a service ace by Kemp. Following a kill from Mahan to tie the score again, 20-20, the Hawks scored three straight points to reclaim their lead.
In the third set, Nazareth rebounded from a 14-11 deficit to tie the set at 15 points apiece. After New Paltz answered with three consecutive points, the Golden Flyers chipped its deficit to one point, 21-20. A kill from Mahan and Zyburt aided the run. After trading the next two points, the Hawks closed the match with a 3-0 run to secure the victory.
New Paltz's Steven Woessner and Christopher Husmann combined for 20 kills and only one hitting error to lead the Hawks.
The UVC Tournament concludes on Sunday when New Paltz plays the winner of Vassar and Stevens in the championship.
