Box Score

New York, NY --- The Brooklyn College Women's Volleyball team, seeded fourth in the 2011 City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC)/Con Edison Women's Volleyball Championships, fell to the top seeded Hawks of Hunter College in the semifinals round earlier tonight in straight sets, 3-0 (25-7, 25-16, 25-19) at Nat Holman Gymnasium on the campus of the City College of New York (CCNY).

The Hawks took full control of the opening set soaring out to an 11-1 advantage, led by the serving of Katina Boutis. Hunter would cruise to a 25-7 victory to take an early 1-0 lead, while hitting a blistering .536 (16 kills/1 error/28 total attacks).

Brooklyn showed heart and determination in its second set going point-for-point early on with the number one overall seed Hawks, who finished the regular season with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play.  Up by one, 15-14, Hunter would close out the set with a 10-2 run to take the 25-16 victory and a 2-0 lead. The Hawks once again used an efficient hitting percentage (.281 – 13 kills/4 errors/32 total attacks), to pace the way to the win.

Similar to the second set, the third set also featured a tight contest early on; however, in the end Hunter would prevail with a 25-19 win to take the straight sets sweep. Up by four, 15-11, the Hawks used a quick 7-0 run to take a controlling 22-11 lead, as Hunter would go on to punch its ticket to the championship final.

For Brooklyn, sophomore outside hitter Jillian Escobar tallied a team-high 10 kills to go along with nine digs and two service aces, while junior setter Kathy Chu dished out a team-leading 17 assists. Junior libero Annalisa Carbonaro chipped in with a team-best 10 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Martiza Morency added nine digs and five kills.

For Hunter, Christine Luebcke recorded a match-best 16 kills, while hitting .625 (16 kills/1 error/24 total attacks.) Luebcke also added three service aces and six digs. Boutis dished out a match-high 39 assists and 11 digs for the double-double. Kimberly Hirten also registered 11 digs on the night.

Brooklyn finishes the season with a 12-13 overall record; while Hunter will play for the CUNYAC Championship against the #2 seeded Bearcats of Baruch College later tonight at 8:00 pm. Baruch defeated #3 Lehman College in the other semifinals match, 3-0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-16), to reach the final.

The Bulldogs and head coach Joanne Riggs will look towards a bright future in 2012, as BC will lose only two players from this seasons' 12-win squad, as seniors Caitlin McMullen and Iris Clopton-Robinson will be lost to graduation.