Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly men's volleyball team dominated at home, defeating the Hilbert College Hawks and SUNY Potsdam Bears 3-0 in both matches. With strong performances from Peter Gottler, Joshua Slater, Corey Hollingsworth, and Thomas McNulty, the Wildcats improved their season record to 11-7.
GAME 1: SUNY Poly vs Hilbert College
The first set started strong for SUNY Poly with a kill from Joshua Slater, assisted by Thomas McNulty, and a service ace by Forest Chaput. A series of kills from Peter Gottler and Slater put the Wildcats ahead 7-2. Hilbert responded with plays from Michael Pozzuto and Nikolas D'Andrea, but SUNY Poly's offense, led by Gottler, kept pushing. Despite some errors from both sides, the Wildcats closed the set with dominant attacks from Slater and Hollingsworth, winning 25-16.
The second set saw both teams exchanging points early, with Hilbert briefly taking the lead. However, SUNY Poly's Gottler, Hollingsworth, and Slater combined for key kills, and a service error by D'Andrea gave the Wildcats an advantage. With the score tied at 24-24, the set saw some back-and-forth action before a final kill from Gottler and Hollingsworth secured the 28-26 win.
In the third set, SUNY Poly capitalized on Hilbert's errors, including missed serves and attack mistakes. Despite solid efforts from Hilbert, including kills from Mehkai Francis and Nikolas D'Andrea, the Wildcats maintained control. Brendan Palmer contributed with a service ace and a key kill, and SUNY Poly closed out the set 25-17 to win the match 3-0.
GAME 2: SUNY Poly vs SUNY Potsdam
In the first set, the Wildcats jumped out to an early lead thanks to key kills from Gottler and Slater, while Potsdam struggled with early errors. A service ace from Andrew Baaki and strong plays from Latino and Baaki helped SUNY Poly extend their lead. Potsdam made a brief push with a kill from Wong and a service ace from Calum Anderson, but their errors continued to cost them. SUNY Poly secured the set 25-19.
SUNY Poly started strong in the second set, with early kills from Hollingsworth and Gottler, along with a service ace from Baaki, giving them a 5-0 lead. Potsdam continued to struggle with attack errors and missed serves, while the Wildcats capitalized with consistent kills from Latino, Slater, and Ranger. A key block by Gottler on Duncan Tenhagen and several more attacks from Latino pushed the lead to 18-14. Despite a late push from Potsdam, SUNY Poly closed out the set 25-21.
In the third set, Potsdam gained an early lead, aided by an attack error from Latino and a kill from Tenhagen. However, SUNY Poly responded with a series of kills from Gottler and Ranger and a service ace from Baaki. While Potsdam kept it competitive with kills from Kilinski and a service ace from Tenhagen, they were hurt by missed serves and attack errors. The Wildcats extended their lead to 22-19, and despite some strong moments from Potsdam, the Wildcats finished strong to win 25-21 and secure the 3-0 match victory.
