The Lady Beavers celebrate their victory.
On Tuesday November 5th, the CCNY women’s volleyball defeated York college in a 3-0 series of games: 25-14 in the first, 25-13 in the second, and 25-4 in the last. Along with this dominant win, the Beavers played their last home game of the season, and hosted their senior night.Three seniors were honored outside hitter Racheal Reyes, middleblocker Nila Tom, and middleblocker Serena Warner.
Reyes, and Warner made this a senior night to remember, they were everywhere on the court. Reyes finished the game leading the team in kills with 6, along with 4 digs. Warner finished with 5 kills, led the team in blocks with 3, along with 1 assist and 2 digs.
When asked about their mindset going into this big game Reyes emphasized her efforts and the work her teammates put in. “For me personally, because it’s our last home game I wanted my friends, and City College’s students to come and see us. We put in the work.” Reyes stated. “I always try to bring a lot of energy to change the tide. It doesn’t matter how a team looks, all that matters is what you bring on the court, and don’t let other teams decide our energy.”
Warner shared a similar mentality. “My mindset in this game is the same as every game, to play and have fun.” Warner said. “Winning is definitely a bonus, but I love my teammates and coaches. I love being on the court bouncing around, screaming my head off, and making my teammates laugh. It’s been a joy for the past 4 years”
Along with Warner and Reyes’ strong performances, first-year setter Danuzia Caixeta Palmer led the team in aces with 7, and assists with 14. Right behind her was sophomore right side, Ivanna Zamora Sanchez finishing the game with 6 aces, and 7 assists. Graduate outside hitter, Gia Skenderi, chipped in 4 kills, and 5 aces. Junior libero Rosalynda Russo led the team in digs with 13.
In set one, York started the game with a 7-3 lead on CCNY. The Beavers stayed resilient, capitalizing on York’s errors during that stretch by taking an 11-7 lead after making 8 scores in a row. York hung around with CCNY, even cutting it down to 4 points during this set but it was not enough. The Beavers finished on a 10-2 run to end the set, with Reyes getting 3 kills to close it out 25-14. The second set saw a similar result thanks to the strong serving from Sanchez, and Palmer helping fuel their 25-13 win. The third set saw CCNY put York away in dominating fashion. Fueled by the plays off Palmer’s serving and kills from Warner, Skenderi gave CCNY a 17-1 over York to start the set. Sanchez finished them off with 3 straight service aces, and forced an error to seal the 25-4 win in the final set.
With this win over York, the Beavers snapped a 4-game losing streak, getting their 7th win of the season and the 4th on their home court. Two crucial games were played yesterday in Union, New Jersey, against Sarah Lawrence College and Kean University. This weekend is a test for the Beavers as they turn to a more competitive style of play to prepare for the playoffs.
“We went from learning and competing to now going to strategizing and competing,” Coach Sanchez said. “I got this team early in the season, and they had a lot of work that they needed to learn and obviously get it together. So this was all about getting together and learning how to compete.”
“We definitely have a lot to prove.” Reyes added. “I want us to prove to people it’s not just, ‘We saw them last time and they were bad so they’re gonna be bad again.’ We didn’t have the best mindset then but we’ll definitely change our mindset and bring a higher level to the playoffs.”
The Beavers will travel to Hunter college, and play against the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs on Tuesday November 11th at 6pm.
Tags: CCNY City College Competition Isaiah Taylor Lady beavers Playoffs sports Victory volleyball Women’s volleyball
Series: Sports
