NEW YORK, N.Y. - Second-seeded John Jay claimed its first CUNYAC women's volleyball championship in program history with a 3-1 win over top-seeded Hunter Friday evening at the Hunter Sportsplex.  The Bloodhounds (22-6) earn the CUNYAC's automatic berth to the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship and will learn their next opponent on Monday.

Set scores were 25-17, 25-11, 21-25, 25-22.

John Jay, which was making its fourth appearance in the CUNYAC final in the past seven seasons, stopped a run of two straight Hunter (21-9) titles, and the Hawks have won eight of the last nine and a conference-record 28 titles.  The Bloodhounds avenged a 3-1 loss to the Hawks in last season's final.

The Bloodhounds opened up a 10-5 lead in the first set and closed out a first set win with the final four points.  The second set was all John Jay, as it scored 14 of the final 17 points of the set, turning an 11-8 win into a 25-11 victory.

Hunter staved off elimination in the third, taking control with the set tied 19-19 with five straight points.  The Hawks led the fourth set 16-15 before a 7-0 Bloodhound run put the guests in front 22-16. A Madison Reyes kill closed out the set and the match.

Championship MVP Josanne Lewis paced the Bloodhounds with 18 kills and 10 digs, while Julia Stuart posted 14 kills.  Meghan Smith registered 39 assists and 19 digs, while Malia Reyes added 14 digs and four service aces.  Madison Reyes and Stuart each had five blocks.

John Jay hit .228 on the night and held the Hawks to .027 hitting on the night.  

Hunter was led by Izabella Williams' 13 kills, with Simone McIntyre recording nine and Amina Moummad eight.  Bethany Tomaneng recorded 33 assists, with Erin Dugan pacing four Hawks in double digit digs with 21.

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ABOUT THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (CUNYAC)
The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) is an NCAA Division III and NJCAA Division III conference with 14 members that reach across all five boroughs of New York City. Since officially coming into existence in 1987, the conference has been amongst the leaders in Division III with initiatives that focus on the student as much as the athlete in student-athlete. The conference sponsors 19 Four-Year College Championships, 13 Community College Championships, the Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner, the Basketball Press Luncheon, the SAAC Leadership and Coaches Rules Seminars, a CUNY-Wide Intramurals Championship Series, and the CUNYAC Golf Classic. With the help of four corporate sponsors, the conference has been ahead of the competition. CUNYAC boasts award-winning publications, award-winning events, unmatched television exposure, and one of the best websites in Division III while continuously searching for ways to improve the quality of the athletics experience.
 
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