NEW YORK — The Hunter College men's volleyball team returned to the Sportsplex on Thursday night, rallying from a set down to defeat John Jay in four (22-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-18). The Hawks improved to 16-10 overall and 11-2 in  City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) play, while the Bloodhounds record dropped to 17-8 overall and 9-5 in conference.

After a sluggish start in the opening frame, Hunter responded with three dominant sets behind a balanced offensive attack and a suffocating front line that registered 22 total blocks — including six block assists apiece from Annes Deljanin, Jon Pflueger, and Felipe Delgado.

Kyle Foley led all scorers with 13 kills on 28 attempts, adding two aces and a block assist for a match-high 15.5 points. Though he committed seven errors, Foley provided key swings in crucial moments, especially late in the third set to help Hunter pull away.

Newcomer, Ahmed Mohamed, continued to impress as he added 12 kills and a team-high 14 digs, producing one of his most well-rounded performances of the season. Despite eight attack errors, Mohamed's energy and presence at the net — which included two block assists and a solo block — helped control John Jay's offense after the first set.

Deljanin continued to be a reliable source for the Purple and Gold and he once again produced  near-perfect on the night, converting seven kills on 13 swings without an error (.538) while racking up blocks. Pflueger also contributed offensively with nine kills  and a team-best three service aces.

Felipe Delgado had his best performance to date in the Hawk uniform, pacing the offense with 39 assists and four block assists, both season highs for the Bogota native. Delgado continued his well rounded performance, adding eight digs and an ace.

Wyatt Kotuk and Lucas George chipped in valuable depth off the bench, combining for six kills and eight block assists in just four total sets played.

As a team, Hunter hit .232 overall and showed marked improvement after a rough opening set (.088), hitting .423 in the second and finishing strong with .250 in the fourth. 

The Hawks' defense limited John Jay to a .129 hitting percentage — including just six kills in the third set as Hunter took firm control of the match.

Libero Nick Yao recorded three digs in serve-receive, while Crisostomo Ibarra added steady back row play and an assist. Charlie Alvarez also saw time late in the match to help close out the final frame.

Hunter returns to the court for its final game of the regular season on April 1, as they host Brooklyn College at 6:00 p.m. in the Sportsplex. Prior to the start, the Hawks will honor its veteran student-athletes in the team's annual Senior Night.