New York, NY - The No. 4 seed John Jay men's volleyball team delivered a strong all-around performance on Tuesday evening, sweeping the No. 5 seed Brooklyn College Bulldogs, 26-24, 25-20, 25-18, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 CUNYAC Tournament at The Doghouse.
With the win, the Bloodhounds improved to 15-12 overall and advance to Thursday's semifinal match, where they will be pitted against the top-seed and regular season champions, the New Jersey City University Gothic Knights. Brooklyn finishes the year at 14-8.
John Jay totaled 35 kills on a .236 hitting percentage while adding four service aces, 10 total blocks, and 32 digs in the straight-set victory.
The opening set featured back-and-forth play with neither side able to create separation early. Kills from
Adam Bainey and
Nick Fuentes helped John Jay establish a slight edge, while a
Joshua Acevedo service ace pushed the Bloodhounds ahead midway through the frame. Brooklyn responded behind Aaron Siu and Joaquin Calderon, tying the set late at 20-20. After the Bulldogs evened the score at 24-24, Fuentes delivered a clutch kill from
Jimmy Thinlay, and John Jay forced an attack error on the next point to secure the 26-24 set victory.
John Jay carried that momentum into the second set, using a balanced attack to pull ahead midway through. With the score tied 11-11, Bainey recorded consecutive kills, and
Brandon Roman added a service ace to spark a run that gave the Bloodhounds a multi-point advantage. Fuentes and
Micah Rossman added timely finishes down the stretch, while the John Jay block limited Brooklyn's offense. Bainey closed the set with another kill as the Bloodhounds took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-20 win.
The third set remained close early before John Jay seized control. Roman and Fuentes combined for key points to give the Bloodhounds an 8-4 lead, but Brooklyn rallied to tie the score at 10-10. John Jay responded with its strongest stretch of the night, highlighted by consecutive kills from Rossman and strong net play from Bainey and
Quez Martin. The Bloodhounds closed the match on a late run, capped by a service ace from Thinlay to complete the sweep.
Fuentes led John Jay with 10 kills and five digs, while Bainey added eight kills on .375 hitting with three blocks. Rossman contributed seven kills and eight digs, and Martin chipped in five kills while hitting .556. Thinlay orchestrated the offense with 29 assists to go along with two aces, two blocks, and five digs.
Logan Ramos paced the defensive effort with nine digs.
Brooklyn was led by Siu's 11 kills and 10 digs, while Calderon added eight kills and two aces. Miguel Trejo finished with 24 assists and seven digs for the Bulldogs.
John Jay finished with advantages in kills (35-31), blocks (10-4), and points (44-35), while hitting .519 in the decisive third set to seal the victory.
