The City College Lady Beavers will return four starters from last years CUNYAC championship squad and will be looking for back-to-back titles for the first time in the schools history. Senior outside hitter Erja Vettenranta, the 2003 Player of the Year, averaged 4.1 kills and 4.2 digs per game last season, and should be even tougher to defend in 2004. Lehman, who reached the championship game a season ago, will have a pair of First Team All-Conference middle hitters returning in sophomore Yaniza DelosSantos and junior Isabel Lorenzo. Other players to watch are Baruch setter Safia Mian, CCNY sophomore outside hitter Jacquelin Peralta, Hunter junior middle hitter Classic John and junior outside hitter Kimberly Zhu, and Medgar Evers senior middle hitter Tammy Chase. The 2004 CUNYAC Championship will be decided on Thursday, November 4 at Hunter.
Baruch Bearcats
Head coach Krishna Dass will begin her third year at the helm of the women’s volleyball program. Baruch returns several key players that will bring veteran leadership to the court. “This will be a challenging season for us, but I believe we have a solid team and the right attitude, which is crucial to any team's success,” said Dass. One of the key players will be setter Safia Mian, who finished last season with 937 assists and a team-high 72 aces. Senior Sadis Sequeira returns with 203 kills, 53 service aces, and 30 total blocks. Baruch will also have the services of defensive specialists Gizzel King and Robi Tse. Dass will be working with a thin roster this season and will have to rely heavily on several rookies. LIU transfer Fior Ulloa will be one of the key components who will play the middle hitter role. Another key rookie will be Newton High School freshman Erika Collado, who will play the role of libero and right hitter.
Brooklyn Bridges
2004 women's volleyball team should benefit from a strong group of key returnees. Senior captain Tracy Altifois led the team with 4.49 digs per game in 2003 and should bring the same intensity to the court in her final campaign. Sisters Kimberly Rutter and Amy Rutter return without eldest sister Tracy, but should both bring experience and leadership in their second year with the team. Sophomore outside hitter Naomi Winn showed a great deal of athleticism and promise in her rookie season and looks to be the team's main offensive threat in 2004. Freshman setter Nancy Vuong has been excellent in practice and should be steady in her first season. Nancy was a standout on the 2003-2004 swimming team. Standouts Stacy Condoulis and Julia Mach are back for their second stints with the team and will add some depth and experience to a veteran squad. Jasmine Thimothe, a freshman from Tilden High School, will add some athleticism to a well-rounded squad.
CCNY Beavers
With four key players returning the Lady Beavers are in position to repeat as CUNYAC champions. Jacqueline Peralta and Catherine Martinez make up CCNY’s powerful offense. On the left side, Martinez, a senior, brings her extensive playing background and tremendous amount of court savvy. The sophomore Peralta will start on the right side. As a freshman, Peralta proved her talented skills throughout the entire season, which culminated with her receiving the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year honors. Erja Vettenranta and Gillian Cain will take on the role of the middle blocker position. As the steadiest player on the squad, Vettenranta, the 2003 CUNYAC Most Valuable Player, will once again bring her incredible experience and knowledge to the floor. Gillian Cain, the newest addition to the squad will bring great athleticism and quickness. Earning last season’s setter spot was Viviana Cifuentes who will continue to fulfill that duty for the upcoming season. Cifuentes averaged 9.7 assists per game for the Lady Beavers, in 2003, and was named to the All-tournament team at the CUNYAC Championships.
City Tech Yellow Jackets
New head coach Joe Contello inherits a team at New York City College of Technology that is coming off a 4-10 season, but its also a team finished 3-6 in CUNYAC action, which is the best final standing for the team in the schools five year history as a member of the senior college division. Unfortunately, Contello will be without the services of City Tech’s best player last season Ai Hua Cheng (3.86 kills per game), but he will look to junior Dorothy Junio (Jamaica, NY) and sophomore Julie St. Jean (Brooklyn, NY) to lead a very young squad. Junio was second in assists (1.49) and third on the Yellow Jackets in kills with 21 last season. Meanwhile, St. Jean also plays on City Tech’s tennis team and plans on splitting her time between the two fall squads this year as well. Also returning from two years ago is junior outside hitter Kereene Reeves (Brooklyn, NY) to help bolster the inexperienced netters.
Hunter Hawks
After having its unprecedented winning streak halted at seven straight championships and 85 consecutive conference matches, Hunter (13-24, 7-2) will look to return to the top of the standings this season. The Hawks will be led by a pair of two-time All-Stars in juniors Kimberly Zhu (S/OH) and Classic John (MH), along with experienced senior co-captains Meital Ben-Tovim (OH) and Ivana Ivkovic (OH). The veteran quartet should be boosted by the return of OH Cynthia Cabrera, who sat out last season, and the addition of the freshman MH duo of Yasmine Daniels (Brooklyn, NY / Midwood) and Shanita Scott (Pelham, NY / New Rochelle). In the wake of four CUNYAC championships and four NCAA appearances to start her tenure, sixth-year head coach Lauren Caiaccia is determined to guide the Hawks back toward those goals with a line-up that combines experience and athleticism.
John Jay Bloodhounds
The John Jay College women’s volleyball team looks to make an impact this season. Last year the team finished with a record of 5-4 in the CUNYAC and 9-14 overall. Returning this season are Aisha Carion, Beata Chojnowska, Lisa Cubair, and Signa President. Chocjnowska, a senior from Lomza, Poland had the second highest number of kills for the Bloodhounds with 113. President, a senior from Micoud, St. Lucia, had the second highest number of aces for the team with 33. Carion, a senior from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and Cubair, a junior from Trinidad, both played in over eighty percent of the games last season and are expected to continue to contribute to the team’s success. Rounding out the team is a set of impressive newcomers. They include Patrycja Drukarczyk, Laura Leary, and Christina Cherniawsky. Drukarczyk, a freshman from Tomaszow, Maz., Poland will play the outside hitter position. Leary, a freshman from Flushing, New York will set her sights on the setter position. Cherniawsky, a freshman from Poland, will also look to contribute as an outside hitter.
Lehman Lightning
After finishing second in last year's CUNY Conference championship, Lehman College looks to take the next step by capturing the school's first ever conference championship. The Lightning will be led by first year head coach Edwin Gonzalez. Gonzalez takes over a program which finished the season with an 18-7 overall record, and finished the conference season with a 7-1 overall record. Leading the charge for Lehman will be sophomore sensation Yaniza DeLos Santos. DeLos Santos, the 2003 Most Valuable Player for the Lightning was a first team CUNY all-star and led the team in virtually every statistical category. The Lightning will also receive a boost from first-team CUNY all-star Isabel Lorenzo, as well as senior Shaunte Ruiz. Ruiz and Lorenzo will look to lead a young Lightning squad back to the top of the CUNY conference.
Medgar Evers Cougars
The Lady Cougar’s volleyball team will be looking to improve from their 2003 campaign in which they finished 2-7 in the CUNYAC and 10-21 overall. The 2004 team will be very young, and inexperienced, but has the enthusiasm that may carry them to reach higher goals than expected. Although Coach Averil O’Neal is not expecting championships, she does want the team to improve from one year to the next. With four players returning from last years team, S.Tammy Chase, Maria O’Neil, Pebbles Brazban, and Sophia Mathlin, the squad should do just that. O’Neil is really looking for her veterans to step up this year in a very big way. “Pebbles must step up as a setter and Sophia must improve upon her play from last year because they are the screws that are going to hold the ship together,” said O’Neal. The team may struggle early, but when the freshmen come along the Lady Cougars should become a tough test for many of their opponents.
York Cardinals
The Cardinals return nine players and have added four freshmen to the mix. Sophomore Renee Thompson, a CUNY All-Star and All Tournament selection last season led the conference in digs(4.85 pg.) and will be a key contributor this season. Juniors Jennifer Martinez and Ellen McKenzie were both were among the top ten in the conference in digs last season. Middle Players Jhennell Davis and Lotonia Dalhouse should improve as the season grows. Coach Titus expects his team to improve their performance after the win over Hunter in the CUNY quarter finals last season.
