In April Baruch’s men’s volleyball team advanced to their first-ever appearance in the championship match of the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Postseason Tournament. (It was their eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament itself.)
The #7-ranked Bearcats played #3-ranked Nazareth College in the last-ever match of the regional tournament, which will be replaced by a NCAA-sponsored competition beginning in 2012.
Both teams went on to represent NECVA at the Molten Final Four, at which Baruch narrowly lost to #1-ranked Springfield College. The Bearcats were then defeated in the third-place match by Carthage College of Wisconsin.
The Bearcats’ appearance in the Molten Final Four marked the first time in Baruch athletics history that one of its varsity teams reached the prestigious Final Four of a Division III national tournament.
For the second year in a row, both Eryk Kowalski (’11) and Pablo Oliveira (’11) were named Division III First Team Volleyball All-Americans. Additionally, Oliveira was named the CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Player of the Year, and the Bearcats’ Head Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Coach Allison Stack was named Coach of the Year.
Men’s volleyball finished the season with a 34-16 record and earned its third consecutive CUNYAC championship.
—Marina Zogbi
For official schedules and up-to-the-minute Bearcat news, go to www.baruch.cuny.edu/athletics.