The men's volleyball team delivered a memorable Saturday at the ARC, winning two hard-fought five–set matches and extending their winning streak to three.
MATCH 1 – Baruch 3, Hunter 2 (Non‑conference) (25-17, 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-9)
The morning began with a familiar rivarly showdown against Hunter College—this match designated as a non-conference match up. This season, CUNYAC teams only play each other once, but both teams agreed to play a second time to keep their exciting home and home schedule that has become New York City's best volleyball rivalry. The official CUNYAC match will take place on March 24 at Hunter College.
As usual, the Battle of Lexington lived up to its reputation.
Hunter grabbed a 2–1 set lead, applying steady pressure and forcing the Bearcats into comeback mode. But Baruch answered the challenge, edging out the fourth set 25–23 and then dominating late in the decisive fifth, 15–9, to take the match.
The fifth set was tight early, tied 4–4, before the Bearcats surged. Behind timely hitting and three key kills from rookie Benjamin Nirenstein, Baruch seized momentum and closed on an 11–5 run to clinch the comeback victory.
They finished with 56 kills to Hunter's 46.
Hunter was paced by Ahmed Mohamed and Emmanuel Cochran, who finished with 11 kills each.
MATCH 2 – Baruch 3, Regis College 2 (25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12)
In the afternoon match, the Bearcats once again found itself trailing two sets to one, this time against Regis College of Massachusetts. And once again, the Bearcats refused to fold as they rallied down 2-1.
They bounced back with a strong 25–21 win in the fourth before pulling out a gritty 15–12 fifth‑set victory to complete their second comeback of the day.
With the tiebreak tied 8–8, Baruch steadied and surged, taking 7 of the final 11 points. Ari Osmanaj delivered two crucial kills in that closing stretch to help secure the match.
The Bearcats' offense was balanced and explosive:
The pair of victories capped a perfect week for the Bearcats, pushing their win streak to three straight.
In the middle match of the day, Hunter defeated Regis 3-1.
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