ALBANY, N.Y. – The Rivier men's volleyball team fell to No. 14 New Platz, 3-1, before completing the reverse sweep over hosts, Sage, Saturday evening at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium.
 
With the result, the Raiders hold a record of 6-6, while the Hawks improved to 7-3 and the Gators fell to 2-9.
 
New Paltz 3, Rivier 1
HOW IT HAPPENED

• New Paltz came out firing in the opening set, using a strong service run and efficient offense to build separation early, 8-3. Rivier got kills from junior Tyler Dickinson and first-year Kenji Clark to steady the frame and later added a kill from sophomore James Levesque and a Clark service ace to string together points, but the Hawks closed the set with a service ace to take set one, 25–14.
• Rivier responded with its best stretch of the match in the second. The Raiders opened the set with an early block from Dickinson and Clark, then Dickinson followed with a service ace to help Rivier gain momentum. Rivier continued to apply pressure at the line, highlighted by service aces from senior Matthew McCloskey and sophomore Cade Barron, and got timely kills from McCloskey, Levesque, Fitzpatrick, Dickinson, and Clark to build a late cushion. Barron capped the set with an ace as Rivier claimed set two, 25–20, to even the match.
• The third set was tightly contested early, with Rivier trading points behind kills from Levesque and Clark while McCloskey added a service ace to keep the Raiders ahead, 10-8. The Hawks answered with a late scoring run fueled by service pressure and transition swings, pulling away to take set three, 25–22.
• New Paltz carried that momentum into the fourth, jumping out to an early lead behind service aces and control at the net. Rivier battled back with multiple late points, including a Barron service ace and a key block from Dickinson, to narrow the margin, but the Hawks closed out the set 25–21 to secure the match.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

• Clark led Rivier with nine kills while hitting .263 and added a service ace.
• Levesque posted seven kills on .308 hitting, while Dickinson added seven more kills, hitting at a .500 clip, and contributed six total blocks.
• Junior Justin Barish paced the offense with 32 assists and held it down defensively with a team-high six digs.

Rivier 3, Sage 2
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Sage got to work early in the opening set, using a service ace and a pair of blocks to build a 4–0 cushion. Rivier settled in behind kills from Tyler Dickinson, Kenji Clark, and Cade Barron helped swing momentum as the Raiders cut the deficit to 16–13. Rivier continued to chip away late, highlighted by a service ace from Cody Fitzpatrick to make it 21–22, but the Gators closed the frame with a late kill to take set one, 25–23.
• The Raiders responded in the second with a tighter start, trading points through the early stages as Dickinson and Clark produced timely kills. Senior Bassam Awde delivered a key service ace during a stretch that helped Rivier stay level, 7-7, and the teams remained locked in a one-possession set into the late points. Rivier battled to the finish, using a kill from Matthew McCloskey to tie it at 23–23, but Sage secured the final two points to take set two, 25–23.
• Rivier flipped the match in the third set, taking control with a more efficient attack. Dickinson, Fitzpatrick, and McCloskey helped the Raiders build separation, and Rivier hit at a .385 clip in the frame to win set three, 25–15.
• The momentum carried into the fourth as Rivier raced out to an early 3–0 lead behind three straight kills from McCloskey, Awde, and Barron. The Raiders continued to apply pressure and created separation late, closing out set four, 25–20, to force a decisive fifth.
• In the fifth set, Rivier delivered in the biggest moments. McCloskey finished multiple key swings early, while Fitzpatrick and Dickinson added kills to keep the Raiders in front. With the score tight late, Dickinson and Awde combined on a block to create match point, and Rivier completed the comeback with a final kill to claim the set 15–10 and the match 3–2.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

• Dickinson paced the Rivier offense with 12 kills and hit .800 in the match.
• Fitzpatrick finished with 15 kills and added 11 digs, while also contributing two service aces.
• Clark recorded 12 kills and hit .304.
• Justin Barish dished out 37 assists to guide the Raiders' offense across five sets.
• Junior Joseph Cruz led the team with 15 digs.

 
UP NEXT
The Raiders return to the court Tuesday, Feb. 10, for a non-conference match with Endicott. The opening serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Muldoon Center.