New York, NY - Behind a career-high 42 assists from junior setter
Ansley Hobson and a balanced offensive attack, the John Jay College women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to four matches with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 25-27, 25-14) victory over City College of New York (CCNY) on Tuesday evening at Nat Holman Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Bloodhounds improved to 8-15 overall and 5-1 in CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) play, while the Beavers dropped to 6-15 overall and 1-3 in conference action.
Hobson orchestrated the John Jay offense, distributing a career-best 42 assists while adding 13 digs, four service aces and two kills. Her performance helped the Bloodhounds finish with 51 kills and a .152 hitting percentage, compared to 28 kills and a .063 clip for CCNY.
Emilia Cascapera paced the offensive attack with a match-high 16 kills and four service aces, finishing with 20.5 points.
Madison Mullan delivered one of her most efficient performances of the season, recording 14 kills on 24 attempts with just four errors for a team-best .417 hitting percentage. Mullan also contributed four aces and four total blocks, matching Cascapera with 20.5 points.
Kynzie MacInnes added seven kills and a team-high 14 digs, while
Hailey Waugaman chipped in six kills and 10 digs.
Lizbeth Martinez contributed 11 digs, three aces and three assists.
John Jay established control early in the opening set, racing out to a 6-0 advantage behind Hobson's serving and a pair of kills from Mullan. The Bloodhounds extended their lead to 16-6 before CCNY mounted a late comeback, trimming the deficit to 24-21. A Beaver service error ultimately secured the 25-21 opening-set victory.
The second frame featured a more competitive battle, with John Jay holding a narrow 14-9 advantage before CCNY responded with eight consecutive points to take a 17-14 lead. The Bloodhounds answered with a decisive 7-0 run behind Hobson's serving, reclaiming a 21-17 advantage. Hobson registered two aces during the stretch, while Mullan and Cascapera combined for key offensive contributions. CCNY pulled within 23-22, but a kill from Waugaman and a finishing attack from Hobson sealed the 25-22 victory and gave John Jay a commanding two-set advantage.
Looking to complete the sweep, the Bloodhounds battled through a tightly contested third set that featured multiple ties and lead changes. John Jay held a 23-21 advantage late in the frame, but CCNY responded with three consecutive points to reach set point at 24-23. Cascapera delivered a clutch kill to even the score at 24 before a CCNY attack error gave John Jay match point at 25-24. However, the Beavers answered with three straight points to claim the set, 27-25, and force a fourth frame.
John Jay wasted little time regaining momentum in the fourth. The Bloodhounds opened with a 4-0 run and quickly built an 8-2 advantage behind kills from Mullan, Cascapera and Waugaman. John Jay continued to apply pressure, extending its lead to 15-7 before pushing the margin to 22-10. CCNY managed to trim the deficit to 23-14, but
Shamyra Herrera delivered a kill to bring up match point before Cascapera closed out the contest with her fourth service ace, securing the 25-14 victory.
The Bloodhounds saved their most efficient offensive performance for the final frame, recording 14 kills against just four errors on 36 attempts for a .278 hitting percentage. John Jay also finished with a commanding 15-4 advantage in service aces and a 45-24 edge in assists.
For CCNY, Rachael Reyes led the Beavers with 11 kills, while Holly Guzman added eight. Danuzia Caixeta Palmer registered 14 assists, and Emery Ramirez-Espinosa finished with a match-high 19 digs.
The Bloodhounds will remain on the road as they will head to Aston, PA on Saturday, October 31 as they will compete at the Neumann Tri-Match, taking on familiar foe, Rutgers-Newark at noon before squaring off against the host at 2:00 p.m.
