NEW YORK -- The City College of New York played its first CUNY Athletic Conference semifinal match in five years on Friday. The fourth-seeded Beavers (12-9) took a set off top-seeded Hunter, but the five-time defending CUNYAC champion Hawks (14-17) rallied to post a 25-18, 21-25, 25-13, 25-21 victory at the Hunter Sportsplex.
Hunter took control of the first set early on, scoring the first three points of the match. After the Beavers trimmed their deficit to two at 12-10, the Hawks went on an 11-4 run to push the margin back to nine points, 23-14. A
Kayla Oge (New City, NY) kill started a 4-0 spurt that brought CCNY back within five, 23-18, but Hunter captured the next two points to finish off a 25-18 set win.
In the second set, it was the Beavers who built an early lead and made it stick. CCNY raced out to a 10-2 advantage and saw that margin reach 14-6 on a
Dzeneta Harambasic (Ridgewood, NY) service ace. After Hunter pulled within one at 19-18, Oge ripped a kill to start a 5-0 run that gave the Beavers a set point opportunity. The Hawks fought off three set points before
Rachel Ramirez (New York, NY) found the floor to close out the frame, 25-21, and level the match.
CCNY won the first point of the third set on a Ramirez and Oge block, but Hunter rattled off the next five to take a 5-1 lead. The Hawks eventually extended the margin to 22-9 before a block by Harambasic and
Arianna Rivas (New York, NY) started a 6-2 Beaver rally. CCNY saved three set points during the run. Hunter's cushion was too big, though, and the Hawks took the set by a 25-15 count.
After Hunter scored the first three points of the fourth set, CCNY rallied to tie it at 9-9. The Hawks responded with a 10-5 spurt to regain a 19-14 advantage, but the Beavers countered with a 4-0 run of their own to trim their deficit to one, 19-18. CCNY would get no closer, however, as Hunter won the set, 25-21, and advanced to the championship match for the 10th consecutive year.
Oge hit .556 in the match, slamming 11 kills with just one error in 18 attempts.
Nicole Polanco (West Haverstraw, NY) just missed a double-double with nine kills and 13 digs, and Ramirez finished with eight kills. Harambasic, meanwhile, had 27 assists and eight digs. The Beavers hit .155 (38-21-110) as a team and outdug the Hawks 47-42.
For Hunter, Kylie Hurst led the way with 15 kills. Isabelle Lawrence tallied 14 kills on .545 hitting to go along with three blocks, while CUNYAC Libero of the Year Sunghee Cho registered a match-high 15 digs. Justine Smith handed out 35 assists, and Summer Magliochetti added 10 assists. As a team, Hunter hit .260 (53-20-127) in the contest.
This marked the first time in five years that CCNY reached the CUNYAC semifinals. The Beavers finished with a winning record for the first time since 2010.
