New York, NY - For the second consecutive season, the John Jay College women's volleyball team sits atop the CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) regular-season standings.
Behind a balanced offensive attack and a dominant fourth-set performance, the Bloodhounds defeated previously unbeaten conference rival Hunter College, 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 17-25, 25-13), on Senior Night Tuesday evening inside the Doghouse, securing their second straight CUNYAC regular-season championship.
The Bloodhounds celebrated their seniors,
Hailey Waugaman and
Caroline Guerney, in front of boisterous crowd and members of LUNAR NYC, who were on hand and organized a giveaway of a free slice of pizza for the first 125 fans.
Emilia Cascapera paced the John Jay offense with a match-high 12 kills, adding eight digs and two service aces.
Madison Mullan followed with nine kills on a .227 hitting percentage and four blocks, while
Hailey Waugaman contributed seven kills, three aces and 11 digs in her Senior Night appearance.
Ansley Hobson orchestrated the Bloodhounds' offense, finishing with 30 assists, seven kills on a team-best .333 hitting percentage, three aces, 11 digs and two blocks.
Kynzie MacInnes added six kills, nine digs and two aces, while
Shamyra Herrera recorded three kills and four blocks.
Defensively,
Lizbeth Martinez anchored the back row with a match-high 16 digs. John Jay finished with a 44-31 advantage in kills, a 12-9 edge in service aces and an 8-7 advantage in blocks. The Bloodhounds hit .145 for the match while limiting Hunter to a .047 hitting percentage.
The opening set featured several early exchanges before John Jay seized control with a decisive seven-point run. With the score tied at 9-9, the Bloodhounds rattled off seven consecutive points behind the serving of Martinez. MacInnes and Mullan delivered kills during the surge, while Martinez added a service ace to extend the John Jay advantage to 16-9.
The Bloodhounds continued to apply pressure, building a 23-13 lead following a combined block from Herrera and Cascapera. Hunter mounted a late rally, scoring eight of the next nine points to pull within 24-21. However, Hobson delivered the set-clinching kill to give John Jay the 25-21 victory and an early 1-0 match advantage.
Hunter opened the second set aggressively, racing out to a 6-1 advantage before the Bloodhounds responded. Trailing 10-7, John Jay used another pivotal six-point run behind Martinez's serving to take a 13-10 lead. Cascapera and MacInnes contributed kills during the rally, while Martinez recorded another service ace.
The Bloodhounds maintained their momentum, extending the advantage to 21-15 following a kill from Herrera. Hunter answered with a late surge, cutting the deficit to 23-20, but Hobson delivered a crucial kill to bring John Jay to set point. After Hunter scored once more, Mullan finished the frame with a kill off an assist from Hobson, securing another 25-21 victory and giving the Bloodhounds a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Facing a potential straight set sweep, Hunter responded with its strongest offensive set of the evening. The Hawks broke an 8-8 deadlock with four consecutive points and eventually extended their lead to 19-13. John Jay attempted to rally behind Waugaman and Hobson, trimming the deficit to 22-17, but Hunter scored the final three points to claim the third set, 25-17, and force a fourth frame.
After Hunter opened with an early 3-1 advantage, John Jay responded with three straight points, highlighted by a Waugaman service ace, to take a 4-3 lead. The Bloodhounds steadily increased their advantage, using kills from Mullan, MacInnes and Cascapera to build a 14-9 cushion. Leading 16-12, John Jay delivered the decisive stretch of the match, scoring five consecutive points behind MacInnes' serving to extend the lead to 21-12. MacInnes recorded a kill and a service ace during the run, while Herrera and Hobson combined for a block.
Cascapera then delivered a kill before Herrera added another to push John Jay to match point at 24-13. On the final rally, Waugaman and Herrera combined for a block on Hunter's River Sutch, sealing the 25-13 victory and setting off a celebration inside the Doghouse.
John Jay concludes the 2026 regular season on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Madison, NJ to tangle with Stockton and host Drew with game times set for 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively.
