BOXSCORE - BROOKLYN
BOXSCORE - BARUCH

NEW YORK, NY - The #13 Baruch College men's volleyball team overcame a 2-0 deficit and rebounded to knock of rival #11 Hunter College, 3-2 (25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 18-25, 10-15) and claim its sixth CUNYAC/Con Edison Championship and fourth in a row.

CUNYAC Player of the Year Christopher Newcomb led the Hunter (25-8) with 27 kills while Eric Barty added 17 as well as two service aces while Jerin Kallickal added seven kills for the Hawks.

Baruch (23-14) was led by Tournament MVP Jack McKee who managed 27 kills on .417 attacking.

Hunter battled Baruch tooth and nail in the first set and found themselves tied at 23-all. Ultimately the Hawks prevailed, 25-23 thanks to a Baruch attack error and kill from Newcomb. Set two saw the Hawks win 25-22 as the teams fought back and forth once more Hunter capitalized on late attack errors from the Bearcats to earn the victory.

Baruch swung the momentum in set three, establishing an early 5-1 lead. Hunter pulled even at 9-all on a kill from Barty but the Bearcats sparked off again. Baruch a 4-1 lead to take a13-10 lead and then found a way to push ahead later in the set, 21-19. The visitors closed the stanza on a 5-1 run to claim the 25-20 victory.

The Bearcats established a 9-6 lead in the fourth set but Hunter battled back, tying the game at 10-all on a BC attack error. Sloppy defensive play from the Hawks put Baruch ahead 16-12. From there, Hunter struggled to find its groove as Baruch continued to power ahead. The Bearcats led 21-14 before Hunter managed three straight points to make it a 21-17 affair. Unfortunately, Baruch dug deep and closed out the frame on a 4-2 run to win and force the pivotal fifth set.

The frame was a back and forth battle in the early goings as the teams found themselves locked at 2-all. From There however, Baruch, led by McKee pushed out to a 6-3 lead. The Bearcats strung together another run at 9-7, pushing ahead 13-9 before Hunter managed a point on a Braien Otsla kill to make it 13-10. Back to back kills from McKee and Steven Coniglio sealed the championship win for Baruch as  the Bearcats completed the comeback.

Hunter College cruised past Brooklyn College, 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-14) in the CUNYAC/Con Edison semifinal match this afternoon to force the rematch against Baruch.

Barty led the Hawks with 10 kills on .500 attacking while Otsla added seven and three others each finished with five apiece.

Hunter will await to see where it lands for post-season play. Information will be made available on line once available.

All Tournament Team
Bryan Williams, York
Keiran Halton, Brooklyn
Steven Coniglio, Baruch
Nick Smith, Baruch
Stanley Martinez, Hunter
Christopher Newcomb, Hunter

CUNYAC POST SEASON AWARDS
Player of the Year: Christopher Newcomb, Hunter
Rookie of the Year: Edner Geffard, York
Sportsmanship: Gene Tom, Brooklyn
Coach of the Year: Ray Bello, Hunter
 
First Team
Steven Coniglio, Baruch
Vincent Cruz, Baruch
Jack McKee, Baruch
John Gemegah, Hunter
Stanley Martinez, Hunter
Braien Otsla, Hunter
 
Second Team
Alexander Shlivko, Brooklyn
Timothy Hui, Brooklyn (Libero)
Nicholas Siriban, CCNY
Eric Barty, Hunter
Brian Francisco, Lehman
Bryan Williams, York