NEW YORK -- In front of a raucous crowd at Nat Holman Gymnasium, the fourth-seeded City College of New York women's volleyball team (12-8) knocked off fifth-seeded John Jay (6-17) by a 21-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-21 count in the first round of the CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNAYC) Tournament on Tuesday night. It was the Beavers' first playoff victory in five years and completed a season in which the team went a perfect 5-0 at home.
Nicole Polanco (West Haverstraw, NY) had a double-double for the Beavers with 15 kills and 10 digs.
Kayla Oge (New City, NY), meanwhile, slammed 13 kills on .346 hitting to go along with three blocks and three service aces.
Rachel Ramirez (New York, NY) registered a team-high 14 digs, while
Michelle Hu (Staten Island, NY) tallied 13 digs and five aces.
Dzeneta Harambasic (Ridgewood, NY) finished with 30 assists and four aces, and
Oanh Han (Brooklyn, NY) contributed 10 digs. CCNY hit .136 (42 kills, 25 errors, 125 attempts) as a team and outdug John Jay 62-51.
For the Bloodhounds, Niovis Monsanto led the way with 13 kills and 15 digs. Mirialis Almanzar had nine kills and seven blocks, while Kimberly Rodriguez handed out 29 assists. Stephany Chhay and Jamarie Silverio finished with 13 digs apiece, and six aces, and Silverio also served six aces. John Jay hit a combined .045 (34-28-132) in the match.
Playing its first home playoff match since 2014, CCNY raced out to an early 6-2 lead in the first set. However, after a Polanco kill put the Beavers in front 14-10, John Jay went on a 10-1 run to go ahead 20-15. CCNY got back within two at 22-20, but would get no closer, as the Bloodhounds took the set by a 25-21 count.
John Jay then began the second set on a 4-0 spurt before Ramirez smashed a kill to start a 10-0 CCNY rally. After a Polanco ace made it 15-10, the Bloodhounds scored six of the next eight points to pull within one, 17-16.
Arianna Rivas (New York, NY) followed with a kill, however, to spark a 6-0 run that gave the Beavers a 23-16 advantage. Oge served an ace to finish off the set, 25-18, and even the match.
The pivotal third set featured seven ties and six lead changes. CCNY held an early 7-5 edge, but John Jay scored four of the next five points to go up 9-8. The Beavers responded with a 7-2 spurt to take a 15-11 lead before the Bloodhounds trimmed the margin to one at 16-15. It was 21-20 when a Rivas kill started a three-point run that brought CCNY to set point. An Oge kill then closed out the frame, 25-21.
After CCNY raced out to a 13-6 advantage in the fourth set, John Jay went on a 13-5 run of its own to pull ahead, 19-18. Oge ripped a kill to tie the score at 19-19, then a Harambasic ace put the Beavers in front for good. A block by Oge and Ramirez gave CCNY its first match point opportunity at 24-21, and the Beavers won the next point to wrap up the four-set triumph.
With the victory, CCNY snapped a four-match CUNYAC Tournament losing streak and moved into the semifinals for the first time since 2014. The Beavers take on top-seeded Hunter (13-17) at 3:30 p.m. on Friday from the Hunter Sportsplex. The Hawks earned a 3-0 win over CCNY when the squads met on Sept. 19.
