2002 CUNYAC / Burger King Women's Volleyball Championships

Hawks Soar To Seventh Heaven

NEW YORK, NY - Hunter College used every ounce of energy to obtain its seventh straight CUNY Athletic Conference / Burger King Women's Volleyball Championship by defeating Lehman College 28-30, 30-27, 30-13, 25-30, 16-14 at home in the most exciting conclusion in the 21 years of the tournament. On the heels of the team's 16th title in the last 18 years, the Hawks (21- 19) will now represent the Conference in the NCAA Division III Championship for the fourth consecutive time. The 2002 edition of the CUNY final was the first to be extended to five games. Moreover, the deciding game went to extra points with tournament Most Valuable Player Jezel Rodriguez notching the final kill. "Anytime you go into a fifth game, with an energetic crowd behind you, the victory is even sweeter," said Hunter's fourth-year head coach Lauren Caiaccia. Lehman (18-5) stunned the home crowd by taking the opening game, 30-28, despite trailing much of the time. Senior outside hitter Madelayne Garcia (New York, NY) had six kills in the first game to give the visitors from the Bronx much-needed optimism at the outset. The home squad started the second game similarly to the first by taking an early lead and eventually gutting out a 30- 27 win, evening the match at one game apiece. In the third game, Caiaccia adjusted her rotation so that Rodriguez (Bronx, NY), her senior setter, would serve first. Rodriguez, the CUNYAC Player of the Year, responded with eight straight jump serves, for an 8-0 Hunter lead. With four service aces during that span, Rodriguez continued her quest to rewrite the NCAA record book. The 5'6" DeWitt Clinton High School graduate now holds the NCAA career record for service aces (538), regardless of division, and set a new Division III record for aces in a season (181) as she nailed 24 over the course of the tournament. "It wasn't until the beginning of my junior season that I really started to hit the jump serve consistently with force," said Rodriguez, who earned her second straight MVP award. "It's a great weapon that helps motivate my team and myself. I can't believe that I am number one all-time in the NCAA." In the fourth game, Lehman fought back to take a 16-11 lead. After a tie at 22-22, the Lightning stormed back in front to win 30-25. "We were able to focus back well in the fourth game," said third-year Lehman head coach Junior Garcia. "Our system of changing things up worked again and I thought that we had the momentum going into the fifth." In the deciding game, there were six straight ties at the start before Hunter managed an 8-6 lead at the changing of sides on a kill by freshman outside hitter Meital Ben-Tovim (Hod-Hasharon, Israel). With an 11-8 lead in hand, Rodriguez nailed another jumper for a commanding 12-8 lead. Lehman bounced back once again, finally tying the game at 14 on a kill by senior outside hitter Sakeena Esteves (Bronx, NY). Fittingly, after another Ben-Tovim kill to made the score 15-14, Rodriguez poked the ball in the corner to clinch the title. Rodriguez finished the match with a triple-double of 22 kills, 42 assists, and 20 digs. Ben-Tovim, who continued to play after chipping a tooth in the first game, tallied 18 kills and 16 digs while classmate Mei Kimberly Zhu (Corona, NY) added 16 kills and 15 digs for the Hawks. "It was a great match ... what else can I say," continued Junior Garcia. "It was a tremendous game for the fans and the players tonight. The seniors played through their injuries and made it a classic." Esteves, a three-time all-star in both volleyball and softball, was courageous in fighting off a knee injury sustained in the quarterfinals two days earlier to collect 17 kills and 12 digs. Garcia totaled a match-high 25 kills along with 18 digs to lead the Lightning while Fortes, despite a strained calf, netted 18 kills. Sophomore setter Esmeralda Camacho (New York, NY) contributed 55 assists and 12 digs.  2002-2003 CUNYAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL YEAR IN REVIEW

All-Tournament Team: Meital Ben-Tovim, Hunter • Sakeena Esteves, Lehman • Madelayne Garcia, Lehman • Erja Vettenranta, CCNY • Daphne Wong, Baruch • Mei Kimberly Zhu, Hunter Tournament MVP Jezel Rodriguez, Hunter Semifinal Results #1 Hunter defeated #4 Baruch 30-13, 30-25, 30-19 Led by senior setter Jezel Rodriguez (Bronx, NY) with 30 assists, 12 kills, and 10 digs, the Hawks advanced to their seventh straight championship match with a 30-13, 30-25, 30-19 win over Baruch. The Bearcats (8-12) were led by sophomore Susan Wu (Flushing, NY) with 18 digs and junior Daphne Wong (Brooklyn, NY) with 17 digs. #2 Lehman defeated #3 CCNY 29-31, 32-30, 30-24, 30-24 Lehman advanced to the championship match for the second time in three seasons with a 29-31, 32-30, 30-24, 30-24 win over rival CCNY prior to the final. Senior outside hitter Sakeena Esteves (Bronx, NY) had 21 kills. Classmate Nerida Fortes (Yonkers, NY) added 16 kills while sophomore setter Esmeralda Camacho (Bronx, NY) distributed 45 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Erja Vettenranta (Jurva, Finland) paced CCNY (19-9) with 36 kills, 23 digs, and 11 blocks. Senior setter Ileana Leonardo (Bronx, NY) posted 42 assists.