New York, NY – The City College of New York women's volleyball team turned in one of its most competitive outings of the season on Tuesday night, taking Hunter College to four sets before falling 3–1 (26–24, 21–25, 18–25, 22–25) in the first round of the 2025 CUNYAC Championship Tournament at the Hunter Sportsplex.

The Beavers came out firing in the opening set, storming to a 9–1 lead behind sharp serving from Graduate-Student Gia Skenderi and steady setting from freshman Danuzia Caixeta Palmer. Hunter closed the gap late, but back-to-back kills from Skenderi sealed the set, 26–24, giving CCNY an early edge.

In the second set, Hunter regrouped, capitalizing on several long rallies to even the match. CCNY kept the frame close behind strong play from freshman Jia Hua Liu and sophomore Ivanna Zamora Sanchez, but the Hawks held off a late Beaver surge to win 25–21.

The third set featured another tight start, with senior Serena Warner providing a spark at the net and junior Rosalynda Russo anchoring the defense. Despite several strong kills from Skenderi and Zamora Sanchez, Hunter used a late scoring run to pull away, 25–18.

The fourth was a back-and-forth thriller that featured 10 ties and multiple lead changes. The Beavers took an early 8–4 advantage after back-to-back aces from Zamora Sanchez and continued to battle deep into the frame. Senior Rachael Reyes and Warner combined for a key block that tied the set at 17–17, while Skenderi's relentless hitting helped CCNY stay even late. Ultimately, Hunter edged out the final points to take the set 25–22 and the match, 3–1.

Skenderi led all players with a dominant 20 kills, 14 digs, and four blocks, hitting .295 on the night. Zamora Sanchez added 10 kills, five aces, and seven digs, while Caixeta Palmer tallied 37 assists and nine digs. Reyes contributed six kills and 12 digs, and Russo recorded a team-high 16 digs.