NEW YORK-- (
www.YORKATHLETICS.com)Â For the first time since 2014, York College men's volleyball claimed a set from the defending CUNYAC Champions, the Baruch College Bearcats (11-7, 10-0 CUNYAC), on Saturday inside York College Gymnasium. The Cardinals outplayed Baruch in the second set (25-22) and fought hard throughout the match, but ultimately fell to the Bearcats, 25-13, 22-25, 25-14, 25-9, suffering a setback in the league standings. York ended a 17-match stretch without winning a set against Baruch, dating back to April 11, 2014.
First Set Breakdown
- Stanley Sanchez opened the scoring with an ace while Alexis Ramiez served a pair of winners to help the Cardinals race out to a 6-1 edge on Baruch,Â
- Baruch answered with a 9-3 spurt to take the lead for the first time.
- Playing ahead for the final 19 points, the Bearcats used a 15-4 run to close out the set, powered by Argjend Osmanaj's five kills.
Second Set Breakdown
- Trailing 4-0, York bounced back by scoring 10 of the next 15 points to grab hold of the lead for good. Â
- York used a key 8-3 scoring spree to extend its lead to seven points (19-12).
- Baruch responded with an 8-4 run and would get as close as three points (23-20) before kills by Sanchez and Iteoluwakiisi Adegboye sealed York's second-set win.
- The Cardinals held Baruch to a -.033 attacking rate while York slammed down 14 kills to prevail 25-22.
Third Set Breakdown
- The Bearcats opened with a 5-1 advantage. Â
- A pair of kills from Sebastian Gomez pulled York within three (6-3).
- Both teams played even over the following six points as George Molina's ace kept York within striking distance, down 9-6.
- Baruch then scored six of the next eight points, before pulling away with an 8-3 run to close out the 25-14 stanza.
Fourth Set Breakdown
- Baruch set the tone with six straight points to open the fourth set. Â
- Gomez nailed down a kill to put York on the board (6-1).
- York kept the deficit manageable with Adegboye's kills to make it a nine-point game (13-4).
- The Bearcats combined a 7-2 run with a 10-3 spurt to close out the set for the 25-9 final.
Leading the Cardinals
- Gomez was York's lead man in points for the 13-straight match, finishing with 16.5 points with 16 kills and a block assist.
- Ramirez chipped in with four kills and a team-leading two aces, while also picking up eight digs.
- Sanchez directed York's offense with 26 assists and served one ace.Â
- Ian McIntosh spiked four kills and totaled three block assists.
- Adegboye finished with five kills (tied career-high) and a personal-best six digs.
- Joseph Lebron match-leading 12 digs (tied career-high).
For Baruch
- Peter Gavroff spiked down 10 kills, served two aces, and scooped up a team-best nine digs.
- Argjend Osmanaj matched Gavroff's mark of 10 kills.
- Ari Osmanaj tallied seven kills (.583 percentage) and made his presence felt with four block assists.Â
- Aaron Clarke and Kory Lingenfelter each totaled six kills.
- Valentin Rodriguez distributed a team-leading 26 assists.
Inside the Box Score
Baruch had a .306 swing percentage on 98 attempts, while York hit at a .037 clip on 107 attacks. Additionally, the Bearcats owned the edge in kills (45-30), aces (11-4), blocks (6.5-3), assists (39-29), and digs (40-32).
Up Next
The Cardinals (4-10, 2-6 CUNYAC) return to the court Tuesday (Mar. 18) for a CUNYAC showdown on the road against the Hunter College Hawks (12-10, 8-1 CUNYAC) starting at 6 p.m. inside Hunter Sportsplex.Â
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