“Dig Pink” is the theme for the upcoming City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) women’s volleyball championships. Fans will be asked to wear pink in support of breast cancer research on Friday, November 6, 2009, when the semifinals and championships take place at the City College of New York. Semifinal matches will take place at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., with the championship match to be contested at 8:00 p.m. All matches will be played in the Nat Holman Gym.
Quarterfinal play will be held on Tuesday, November 3, with the top four seeds hosting. The winners will then advance to play on Championship Friday, November 6, when the 2009 champion will be crowned at the Nat Holman Gym on the campus of the City College of New York. At stake is an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III championships, which begin on November 12.
Quarterfinal action will see top-seeded Baruch hosting #8 Medgar Evers, #2 CCNY hosting #7 York, #3 Hunter hosting #6 John Jay, and #4 Lehman hosting #5 Staten Island. Championship Friday will see the four winners competing, with games at 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Finals will be held at 8:00 p.m.
“Unfortunately, we all know of someone who has been affected by breast cancer,” states Chris Gonzales, Assistant Commissioner of the CUNYAC. “It’s a terrible disease, and whatever we can do to lend support, we will.”
Faculty and staff from all campuses are invited to attend. Tickets are available at the athletic department on each campus. Additionally, tickets have been distributed at all CUNY Central buildings. If anyone requires more tickets, they are available at the CUNY Athletic Conference office, located at Queens College. They will also be available at the door.
After round-robin play in the regular season, three teams all tied with 8-1 records. Baruch earned the top seed through tiebreakers, with CCNY second and Hunter third. Baruch’s balanced attack is paced by Christina Pierre and Lauren Hayden, each of whom are hitting over .300. Melinda Santiago is the setter for the Bearcats, and leads the conference in assists. CCNY has a pair of strong hitters in Floriana Garo and Melissa Blass. Garo is currently second in the country in kills per set with 4.65. Jenna Pape, Tracey Igwe and Mallory Grubler lead the Hunter attack.
Lehman is the fourth seed, edging out CSI by one game. The Lightning are led by Gerri-Ann Martin’s attack and Jillian Acevedo’s defense. The Dolphins are paced by Alba Basha, who is seventh in the country in service aces with .93 per set.
John Jay, York, and Medgar Evers round out the field. The Bloodhounds are led by Justyna Kopec and Andrea Medina, while the Cardinals are led by Shanine Bogan. For Medgar Evers, Cristal Molina leads the offense while Yvanna Jack the defense.