NEW YORK, N.Y.- The Hunter College women's volleyball team put up a valiant fight in its 2025 home opener at the Sportsplex on Tuesday evening, pushing conference rival John Jay to five sets before falling in a hard-fought 3-2 contest. Set scores were 25-17, 25-22, 14-25, 23-25, 11-15.

The Hawks, who dropped to 4-16 overall and 1-2 in CUNYAC play, came out strong in the opening sets, riding balanced offense and energetic defense to build a 2-0 match lead. However, the Bloodhounds (13-3, 3-0 CUNYAC) rallied back, narrowly holding off Hunter's comeback bids in the fourth and fifth sets before escaping with the win.

Amina Moummad paced the Hawks with 12 kills and 13 digs for a double-double, adding two service aces for 14 total points. Lily Mattison matched her with 12 kills, five digs, five blocks, and an ace to finish with 15.5 points, while Kassidy Cruz Nuesi posted 10 kills and 10 points.

Setter Madeline Snyder controlled the offense with 40 assists and added six digs and six block assists. Defensively, Michelle Liu contributed six kills and five block assists, while Natalie Morrill led all players with 15 digs.

Hunter was dominant early, outhitting the Bloodhounds in the first two sets, including a .171 attack percentage in the opener. In the second set, despite nine errors, timely serving and back-row defense helped the Purple and Gold hang on for a 25-22 win.

The third set shifted momentum, as John Jay surged with a .481 hitting percentage, limiting Hunter to nine kills. The fourth set saw the Hawks go toe-to-toe, recording 10 kills on .179 hitting and rallying from a late deficit before falling just short at 25-23. In the deciding fifth frame, Hunter held an early lead but could not close it out, dropping the final set 15-11.

Hunter returns to the court for another home match against USMMA at 6 p.m. in the Sportsplex.