Bronx, NY

Top seeded City College (21-4, 9-0 CUNYAC), who will be looking for their first CUNYAC title since 1984, will open up against #8 Medgar Evers (9-17, 2-7 ) at 5:00 p.m. The Beavers are led by junior outside hitter Erja Vettenranta (Jurva Finland) and freshman Jacquelin Peralta (New York, NY). Vettenranta, a two-time CUNYAC Player of the Week honoree this season, ranks second in the league in kills (4.05 pg.), third in hitting percentage (.365), and is sixth in digs (4.34 pg.). Peralta has also won a Player of the Week award, and ranks fifth in kills (3.64 pg.) and is fourth in service aces (1.00 pg.). Freshman setter Viviana Cifuentes (Queens, NY) leads the conference in assists with 9.68 per game. Medgar is led by junior outside hitter Tammy Chase (Barbados, WI), who leads the league in kills (4.12 pg.) and is second in blocks (0.90 pg.). Senior setter Maria O’Neal (Brooklyn, NY) ranks sixth in the league in assists (5.89 pg.), third in service aces (1.02 pg.) and is ninth in hitting percentage (.264). City swept Medgar on September 6 and October 18.

The other 5:00 p.m. match-up will feature #2 seeded Lehman (16-6, 8-1) and #7 seeded New York City College of Technology (4-9, 3-6). Lehman, the top hitting team in the conference (.365), is being led by sophomore middle hitter Isabel Lorenzo (Bronx, NY)and freshman Yaniza De Los Santos (Queens, NY). Lorenzo leads the league in hitting percentage (.470) and is fourth in kills (3.71 pg.). De Los Santos, a two-time CUNYAC Rookie of the Week this season, ranks second in hitting percentage (.393), sixth in blocks (0.45 pg.), and is eighth in kills (3.03 pg.). Freshman outside hitter Ai Hua Cheng (New York, NY), the CUNYAC Rookie of the Week for October 7, is City Tech’s top performer at 3.83 kills and 2.03 digs per game. Lehman defeated City Tech, 3-0, on September 23.

#3 seeded Hunter (13-21, 7-2) will face #6 seeded York (5-13, 4-5) in a 6:30 pm match-up. Despite going through a rebuilding season, Hunter, the seven-time defending CUNYAC Champions, still must be considered a threat to defend their title. Sophomore outside hitter Kimberly Zhu (Corona, NY) and sophomore middle hitter Classic John (Brooklyn, NY) will lead the Hawks into battle. Zhu is averaging a team-high 2.64 kills per game and is ninth in the conference in digs (3.58 pg.) John is the conference leader in blocks (1.12 pg). York freshman Renee Thompson (Jamaica, WI) is one of the top newcomers in the league and was named the CUNYAC Rookie of the Week on September 29. The outside hitter leads the league in digs (6.13 pg.) and is adding 2.67 kills per game. Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Martinez (Corona, NY) is adding 2.11 kills per game and is sixth in the conference in service aces (0.89 pg.). Hunter defeated York, 3-0, on October 13.

The other 6:30 pm. quarterfinal will feature #4 seeded Baruch (13-15, 6-3) and #5 seeded John Jay (9-13, 5-4). Baruch will feature one of the top setters in the league in sophomore Safia Mian (Fresh Meadows, NY) along with junior outside hitter Sadis Sequeira (Bronx, NY), both all-stars in 2002. Mian is ranks second in the conference in assists (9.36 pg.) and is also ninth in service aces (0.78 pg.). Sequeira is third in the league in digs (4.43 pg.). Queensborough Community College/Adelphi transfer Latishea Pearson (St. Albans, NY) has made a huge impact at 3.42 kills per game, which ranks seventh in the conference. John Jay senior outside hitter Kerry Koslosky (Auburn, NE) has enjoyed another terrific all-around season. An all-star a year ago, Koslosky is sixth in the CUNYAC in kills (3.53 pg.) and tenth in digs (3.43 pg.). Junior hitter Beata Chojnowska (Lomza, Poland) has helped clog with middle this season (0.41 blocks per game). Baruch swept John Jay, 3-0, on October 21.