BMCC Makes NJCAA's After Winning 5th CUNY in a Row

Borough of Manhattan Community College's women's volleyball team swept through the CUNY tournament with a perfect 27-0 record. Held at Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio, the Lady Panthers lost all three of their matches, coming up short of their goal, winning the NJCAA Division III title.

In the Nationals, the Panthers, the seventh seed (out of 8), faced the host school, Owens, losing 15-6, 15-2 and 15-6 in the first match. Due to the pool play format, BMCC got right back on the court to face the defending champions, the College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL) and won their only set of the championships, 15-11 in between scores of 15-2 and 15-6. In their final match the Lady Panthers faced off against the eventual Tournament runner-up team, Cedar Valley College (Lancaster, TX), dropping 15-13, 15-10 and 15-5.

"We didn't play our best in Ohio," said head coach Olga Lorenzo. "But you can count on us coming back next year."

One week earlier the Panthers, rolled through the regional, only losing one game in five matches. Starting with pool play, BMCC beat Orange CC, Bronx CC and Westchester CC all in straight sets. In their semifinal match, they had their toughest test, Fashion Tech, from Manhattan and dropped a game, winning 15-9, 15-17, 15-10, and 15-12. In the championship match, Lorenzo's team was strong, topping Suffolk Community College 15-9, 15-8, 15-2 for the title.

"We're really happy to win the Region after last year," said Lorenzo, whose squad lost in the Regional Championship to an unheralded Queensborough squad. "Unlike previous years we have a strong offense now," added Panthers assistant coach Rewa Chen. "The height of this team is now a strength and we're coming together on the court."

Back in September, BMCC easily won their fifth straight CUNY Athletic Conference/Tachikara Women's Volleyball Tournament today, beating Fashion Institute of Technology in the final 15-4, 15-7. Kingsborough Community College, the 2000 host, was beaten in the third place match by Bronx Community College 15-10, 15-3.

BMCC sophomore Paola Contreras (Bryant HS), was named Most Valuable Player. The setter / outside hitter led the all-around team effort with 3 kills and 10 digs in the final.

"I feel very honored that I was recognized for my performance today," said Contreras, a native of Peru that now lives in Queens.

Both BMCC and Fashion moved out of pool play with 2-0 marks. BMCC beat Bronx 15-4, 15-5, followed by a 15-1, 15-10 win over Kingsborough. F.I.T. swept KCC 15-8, 15-2 and Bronx 15-8, 16-14 to make it necessary to eliminate the third round of pool play and move straight to the championship round.

By Gregg Cohen