New York, NY – The John Jay men's volleyball team rallied at several points of their non-conference clash with the visiting Baruch College, as the Bloodhounds fell in straight sets (20-25, 21-25, 23-25) on Thursday evening at The Doghouse.

With the loss, John Jay falls to 13-11 while Baruch improves to 10-9 overall. 

The Bearcats hit .194 as a team compared to John Jay's .149, while also holding advantages in kills (38-30) and total blocks (10-8).

John Jay came out sharp offensively, hitting .208 in the opening frame behind early kills from Nick Fuentes and Adam Bainey. The Bloodhounds used a 5-0 run midway through the set to turn an 8-3 deficit into an 8-8 tie, fueled by back-to-back finishes from Fuentes and Quez Martin. The set remained tight, with John Jay closing within 19-18 late. However, Baruch responded with a decisive 6-2 run, highlighted by consecutive service aces from Benjamin Nirenstein, to secure the 25-20 victory. 

The Bloodhounds carried momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 5-2 lead behind balanced contributions from Bainey and Logan Ramos. Baruch answered with a key 6-1 run to take control at 8-6 and never relinquished the advantage. Despite John Jay trimming the deficit to 21-19 late, Baruch's offense—led by Peter Gavroff and Nirenstein—closed the set on a 4-2 stretch to take a 2-0 match lead.

John Jay delivered its most complete effort in the third set, building a 15-13 advantage behind strong play at the net from Martin and Bainey, along with a service ace from Jimmy Thinlay.
The Bearcats responded once again with a late surge, using a 5-1 run to flip the momentum and take a 20-16 lead. The Bloodhounds showed resilience, battling back to within 24-23 after consecutive kills from Martin, but Baruch closed out the match on the ensuing point to complete the sweep.

Fuentes paced John Jay with nine kills on an efficient .296 hitting percentage, while Martin added seven kills and three blocks, and Bainey chipped in six kills and two blocks. Thinlay orchestrated the offense with 20 assists and added a team-high 11 digs.

For Baruch, Nirenstein led all players with 16 kills and three service aces, while Gavroff contributed 11 kills, 12 digs, and four total blocks. Ari Osmanaj facilitated the offense with 32 assists.

The Bloodhounds will host the visiting York College Cardinals on Tuesday, March 31 for Senior Night as John Jay will recognize its 2026 Senior Class.