MONTCLAIR, N.J.- The Hunter College women's volleyball team dropped a nonconference matchup to Montclair State University in straight sets at the Panzer Athletic Center. The Hawks showed resilience in a tightly contested second set but ultimately fell by scores of 25-10, 26-24 and 25-17.
Montclair State (19-6) jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set, building a 5-0 lead before Arianna Calderon Jimenez put Hunter (10-9) on the board with a kill. Calderon Jimenez continued to provide an offensive spark, adding two more kills in the frame, while Kassidy Cruz contributed a block. Despite the Hawks' efforts, the hosts maintained control to take the first set, 25-10.
Hunter responded with a stronger showing in the second set, battling through several lead changes in the closest frame of the match. Michelle Liu opened the scoring with a kill off an assist from Sofia Marolla before adding another to even the score at 2-2. Calderon Jimenez later sparked a three-point service run to bring the Hawks level at 14-14. Hunter capitalized on Montclair State errors to move ahead 17-15 and continued to apply pressure, with a block from Liu and Cruz giving the Hawks a 22-21 edge. However, the Red Hawks rallied late to escape with a 26-24 victory.
Montclair State carried its momentum into the third set, opening with a 4-1 run and extending its advantage to 13-5. Hunter continued to compete, putting together a three-point stretch that included another block from Cruz. The Purple and Gold later rattled off four consecutive points, highlighted by a kill from Varvara Kudinova, but the hosts held on to close out the match, 25-17.
Offensively, Liu and Calderon Jimenez paced the Hawks with a combined 13 kills. Maya Cosmo anchored the defensive effort with a match-high 16 digs for Hunter, while Cruz provided a presence at the net with three total blocks.
Hunter returns to the Sportsplex on Thursday, Oct. 29, for a City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) matchup against Baruch College. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
