2001 CUNYAC Women's Volleyball Preview

Hawks Hunt for Sixth Straight

Hunter (31-11 in 2000) has dominated the CUNY Athletic Conference for most of its' 21-year history of women's volleyball. The Hawks have won 13 of the last 15 tournament titles and currently sport a 57 match CUNYAC winning streak, the fourth longest such streak in NCAA history.

Last year, head coach Lauren Caiaccia's club compiled a 9-0 regular season mark and a 3-0 tournament slate, only being extended into a fourth set once during the 12 matches. With a win over Lehman in the finale, the Hawks earned their second straight NCAA Tournament berth, but lost in the first round again.

This year they will have a very different look, with only four returning players, as they aim for their team's sixth straight CUNYAC title. Hunter will rely upon seniors OH Jen Manicad (Flushing, NY) and MH Nora Wnuk (New York, NY), as well as three-sport star Jezel Rodriguez (Bronx, NY) to lead the way. Granted these three have always been starters, combining for 42% of Hunter's offensive attack, but there are major changes in store for the squad.

On to the changes, moving onto the bench as an assistant coach is the 2000 Tournament MVP Brienne McGuinness and moving into her setter spot is Rodriguez. The 5-6 dynamo never ran an offense until last season, when McGuinness missed the start of the season due to an injury. Inserted in the lineup to pick up the slack are three freshmen: 5-10 MH Annette Mpinja from Peoria, AZ, 5-7 OH Ivana Ivkovic from Ridgewood, NY and 5-5 OH Beth Tuccillo from Brooklyn, as well as junior Me Oak Place (Woodside, NY), who has been a role player for the Hawks the past two seasons.

"I look forward to the challenges and excitement of the upcoming season," said Caiaccia. "Although Hunter will be young, we hope to compete with great cohesion this year."

Still, the prevailing feeling around the conference may be that even with some outstanding talent and tradition on their side and with several other programs on the rise, this may be a vulnerable year for the Hawks.

In his first season at the helm of the women's team, Lehman head coach Junior Garcia promised that the team would show improvement. The Lightning did, winning 20 games (20-5) and reaching the CUNYAC final for the first time since 1996.

Leading the returnees for Lehman are two juniors, outside hitter Madelayne Garcia (Bronx, NY), who hit .336 with 149 kills in 80 games last year and Sakeena Esteves (Bronx, NY), who led CUNYAC with 10.81 assists a game last year. Sitting out the year will be senior OH Nerida Fortes (.484 hit pct., 2.8 kpg), CUNYAC's Player of the Year, as she recovers from a recent surgery.

Nevertheless Lehman is aiming high. "We're going to be deeper this year, with some strong new players and strong returning veterans, like Madelayne and Sakeena," said Garcia.

Also back are senior Iran Gutierrez (Bronx, NY) and sophomore Josenny Hidalgo (Bronx, NY) to bring along the school's seven freshmen. Among them are Esmerelda Camacho (Bronx, NY), the younger sister of Garcia's men's tandem of Anderson and Marcos, who is a strong setter, allowing Lehman to change from a 5-1 offense to a 6-2 format.

John Jay made a complete turnaround last season, surprising the league with a jump from 4-20 (2-7 CUNYAC) in 1999 to 15-9 (7-2); prompting new coach Colleen Norman to earn Coach of the Year honors. Due to personal commitments Norman stepped aside after the season, leaving the team to their men's coach Nick Zavalkov.

"We have a lot of size and dedication on this team," said Zavalkov. "I was forced to make cuts [to the roster] this year, something I could never imagine with the men."

Like Lehman, the Bloodhounds will also be without the services of their top hitter, Arelis Reyes, last year's Rookie of the Year. Now Jay will count on 5'8" senior Isorys Dilone (Brooklyn, NY) to set it to the likes of sophomore Kerri Koslosky (Auburn, NE) and standout 5'8" freshman Andi Zhao (Brooklyn, NY).

Another team headed in the right direction is CCNY (10-11, 6-3). Under third-year coach Robert Pichardo, the Lady Beavers are primed to take the next step, despite their two 2000 CUNYAC all-stars (Lisette Evangelista and Magdala Paris) not returning to the team.

"Unlike in the past, the chemistry that we need is there," said Pichardo. "I am proud to see the positive attitude needed for success out there every day with this team."

In the early going, Pichardo has been raving about freshman outside hitter Catherine Martinez (Bronx, NY), a former player of his at Clinton High School, who traveled with the young coach to play in a Junior National Tournament in the Dominican Republic over the summer. Alongside Martinez this year will be two solid freshmen outside hitters leading the charge in Erja Vettenlanta (New York, NY) and Yessenia Quesada (Bronx, NY).

After reaching the CUNYAC final 12 times in the past 14 years, Baruch (8-11, 5-4) failed to get out of the quarterfinals last season.

"Last year was a transition year for Baruch," said Jimmy Lam, now entering his fourth season. "This year will begin another transition period, although I like how we're progressing in the early going."

Back for the Stateswomen are junior setter Jeanette Espinosa (New York, NY) and two outside hitters from Brooklyn, 5'11 junior Jennifer Quinones and 5'5 sophomore Daphne Wong. They will lead the newcomers including: 5'9 middle blocker Melissa James (Queens, NY) and 5'6 freshman Sadis Sequeria (Bronx, NY).

For Brooklyn (9-12, 4-5), two seniors and head coach Marianne Doyle will lead squad for the second straight year. Setter Nicole Berish (Brooklyn, NY) and outside hitter Arianna Weitzman (Brooklyn, NY) are back and starting off well. Berish was ranked in the top ten in CUNYAC with 1.9 assist per game and 1.1 kills, while Weitzman, a three-sport athlete for the Bridges, is a strong server with 0.7 aces per game. Sophomore Stacy Condulis is also back to provide defensive support.

Medgar Evers (7-14, 3-6) showed a lot of promise towards the end of last season, winning four of the school's last seven matches, following a 3-11 start under first-year head coach Avril O'Neal.

"I hope that we can pick up this year at the level of play that we finished at last year," said O'Neal, who boasts seven veteran players. Players to watch for include OH Sherell Forrest and S Crystal Noel, both sophomores from Brooklyn, NY.

It will also be the second season for Staten Island's softball (she won two CUNYAC softball titles) turned volleyball coach Gina Battista, who has recruited eight players from her other team to play inside the gym. Two of the best may be outside hitter Donna Przybyszewski (Staten Island, NY) and April Avena (Staten Island, NY). The Dolphins (6-15, 2-7) should improve with a year under everyone's belt, including sophomore setter Tracy Rutter (Queens, NY), who welcomes her younger sister Kim to the squad.

A team with high expectations for the coming year is York (1-11, 1-8). After taking over the team near the end of the season, head coach Andre Titus has seen the young student-athletes grow.

"Besides making the CUNYAC playoffs (which all nine schools qualify for), we want to be in the final four," said Titus. "I am looking for a better season because the new players seem to be adjusting easily and the comraderie and spirit of the team is at a high level."

As far as new faces go, look for sophomore outside hitter Sheryl Bawayan (Queens, NY) to go with senior Melissa Clark (Queens, NY).

A team that had severe growing pains last year was New York City Technical (0-9, 1-14), once again to be coached by Jason Dibelius. With senior Sandy Kouw (New York, NY) setting for the squad, the Yellow Jackets will try to get out of the basement in 2001.

2001 CUNYAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED by STATE FARM
First Round: Monday, October 22 @ Higher Seed
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, October 23 @ Hunter College
Semifinals & Final : Thursday, October 25 @ Hunter College o Upper East Side, Manhattan