Hunter, Baruch Advance to CUNYAC/Shleppers Men's Volleyball Finals

CUNYAC Men’s Volleyball Presented by Shleppers

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Recaps in Game Order

#2 Hunter 3, #3 York 0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-11) - Box Score

The Hunter Hawks have advanced to the CUNYAC Championship game after defeating the York Cardinals by a score of 3-0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-11).

“It feels good,” said Hunter coach Ray Bello. “We lost in the semifinals the last two years so it’s time to make a statement.”

Hunter jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first set. York committed numerous attacking errors, and Hunter used thunderous kills from Matthew Zukowski, Gary Andersen, Jr. and Benjamin Cassidy to open a 21-6 lead. The Cardinals strung a pair of kills with a service ace and got to within 11 points, but Hunter called time out, regrouped, and finished off the set with a kill by Ben Crusinberry. Hunter took the first set 25-11.

The teams traded points early in set two. Then, Hunter jumped out to a 10-6 lead. Even after a York timeout, Hunter took control of the set, going on a 12-2 run behind a pair of kills each by Crusinberry and Cassidy. Brandon Kohler registered two kills in the final four games of the set to help Hunter close out set number two 25-12.

Hunter continued their dominance in the third and final set, jumping out to an 18-6 lead over York. Visibly comfortable and in firm control of the game, The Hawks closed out the set with kills by Crusinberry and Steven Tarquinio.

Strong defense and superior blocking keyed the Hawks performance in the match. Four Hawks (Crusinberry, Cassidy, Tarquinio and Brandon Kohler) tied for the team lead with six kills apiece. Additionally, Tarquinio led with 10 blocks and Gary Anderson had a game-high 23 assists. As a team, Hunter dominated offensively with 30 kills to York’s 18. The hitting percentage splits were even more stark as Hunter outhit the Cardinals .400 to -.068. Defensively, Hunter registered 16.5 blocks to York’s one.

Hunter will await the winner of the 6PM Baruch vs. Lehman matchup. The Final game will begin at 8PM, live on ESPN3.

#1 Baruch Bearcats 3, #5 Lehman Lightning 0 (25-8, 25-17, 25-16)

Baruch entered their semifinal matchup against Lehman as the heavy favorite, and they proved why tonight. They defeated the Lightning 3-0 (25-8, 25-17, 25-16) to advance to take on the Hunter Hawks in the Championship match.

“It was a good win and a good start to the Tournament,” said Baruch head coach Danial Levent. “I’m pretty happy with the performance.”

Baruch wasted no time getting hot, jumping out to an early 5-0 lead against the #5 seeded Lehman team. Lehman appeared to gain some momentum, but a point was taken away due to an illegal player on the court, and Baruch’s offense and defense both began clicking. Numerous blocks and kills by Chris Kaimis allowed the Bearcats to open a 19-5 lead in the set. Back to back kills by senior captain Nick Smith closed out the 25-8 set victory for Baruch.

Lehman showed plenty of fight early in the second set, keeping the score close at 7-6. Baruch started to separate themselves slightly, but Lehman remained in the set due to sloppy serving by Baruch. The Bearcats turned their fortunes around behind a pair of kills and blocks to take a 21-12 lead. Baruch had two attempts to close out the set, but Scott Standring and Nick Smith each committed service errors. Wai Choi was finally able to give Baruch the 25-17 set victory with a kill to put the Bearcats within one set of their eleventh straight Championship appearance.

In the third set, Baruch had a response every time Lehman tried to mount a comeback. Jacob Rudin and Yanni Malo combined to put an exclamation point on the match when they blocked Jaleel Lino’s thunderous kill attempt. That put the Bearcats up 18-9; a lead they would have no problem maintaining. Baruch closed out the match with a thunderous kill by Nick Smith to win 25-16 and 3-0 overall.

Smith led the Bearcats with 10 kills. Captain Chris Kaimis had six kills and a .750 hitting percentage. Scott Standring had an impressive 28 assists in the three-set victory. Miguel Gallardo led the Lightning with eight kills. As a team, Baruch outblocked Lehman 10.5 to 1 and committed 16 fewer attacking errors.

The Bearcats will look to win their seventh straight title and tenth in the last eleven years. They’ll take on the #2 seed Hunter Hawks at 8PM, live on ESPN3.