Men’s Volleyball Finishes Season On Low Note
By Owen Russell
The Bulldogs concluded their regular season this past week. As they roll into the playoffs, here is how they performed over the past two weeks.
On Mar. 22, Brooklyn lost to Lehman College up in the Bronx. To the Bulldogs’ credit, each set was kept fairly close. Brooklyn lost the first two sets by no more than five points (25-20, 25-23). In the third set, Brooklyn battled back and was able to nab a victory, winning 25-18. The fourth set saw Brooklyn losing a close one yet again as Lehman closed out the game with a 25-21 win. Brooklyn kept things relatively close on the scoreboard due to some great play all around by some key players. Sophomore Admir Cekic led the game in assists, tallying 35, and junior Zhao Ming Li led the Bulldogs with 11 kills.
After losing five straight, the Bulldogs finally walked away with a win on Mar. 24 against York College. Brooklyn needed a victory badly coming into this game. After suffering tough losses to multiple conference rivals, the Bulldogs were out to prove something against the York Cardinals. Brooklyn swept York in dominant fashion, winning the first two sets by double digits (25-10, 25-11). York kept things a little closer in the third set, but the team could not stop Brooklyn from completing the sweep. Brooklyn won the third set 25-18. The Bulldogs dominated in practically every statistical category, most notably with 27 kills while York only had five. Sophomore Admir Cekic led the Bulldogs in assists with 25, and York had five assists in total.
Having just swept York, Brooklyn hoped to capitalize on their momentum against CCNY on Mar. 26. Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs suffered a sweep against the Beavers on Mar. 10. Saturday’s game was a familiar sight. Brooklyn lost in three straight sets (25-18, 25-14, 25-18). CCNY had the Bulldogs outmatched from the jump, leading the Bulldogs in every category. With the loss, Brooklyn’s conference record stands at 2-6.
The Bulldogs took on York again, this time on Mar. 28. Last Monday’s game was a serious case of deja vu, as the Bulldogs swept the Cardinals once again. The Bulldogs blew out York in the first two sets (25-11, 25-12). The Cardinals kept things closer in the third, but Brooklyn still won 25-17. Sophomore Admir Cekic dominated the stat sheet. By the end of the contest, he had 29 assists, six aces, and four digs. The victory marked Brooklyn’s sixth of the season.
The following day, Mar. 29, the Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker to John Jay. The Bulldogs and the Bloodhounds traded sets. The Bloodhounds won the first and third (25-22, 25-21) while the Bulldogs won the second and fourth (26-24, 25-19). The two teams needed a fifth set to determine a winner. In the fifth set, teams played to 15 rather than 25. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, John Jay was able to reach 15 first and walked away with a hard-fought victory.
On Mar. 31, Brooklyn played its last game of the regular season against Hunter College. It was a tough draw for the Bulldogs since Hunter came into the matchup #1 in the CUNYAC. Brooklyn fought as much as they could, but ultimately suffered a sweep by the Purple Hawks (25-19, 25-13, 25-18). It was Brooklyn’s second loss to Hunter this season, and 15th loss in total.
Having put the regular season behind them, Brooklyn will now begin postseason play. The Bulldogs enter the championship season as the fifth seed. Their first matchup in the CUNYAC Championship Tournament will be against fourth seeded John Jay on Apr. 5. The winner will face Hunter College, the 1st seed.
Women’s Softball Returns For First Time Since COVID
By Owen Russell
It only took 683 days, but softball is back at Brooklyn College after COVID canceled their previous seasons. The Bulldogs opened their season with four straight double-headers.
Brooklyn’s first double-header of the season came against St. Joseph’s on Mar. 21. For the Bulldogs, it was not exactly the storybook return they had hoped for. The Bears from St. Joseph scored 18 runs in the first game and 26 in the second. Brooklyn was held scoreless in both, and held hitless in the first game. The Bulldogs struck out 10 times on their way to being no-hit in the first half of Monday’s double-header. The second game was not much better, as the Bulldogs allowed 26 runs, but Brookyln earned its first hit in nearly two years with senior Kayla Steele recording the team’s first hit of the season.
The third and fourth games of the season for Brooklyn came against NJCU on Mar. 23. It was another scoreless night for the Bulldogs, as they were unable to manage a run in either game. As for the Knights from NJCU, it was total dominance with 11 runs in the first game and 18 runs in the second. Brooklyn recorded a total of four hits in the two games, spread out between two players. Sophomore Stella Witowski hit three times across the two games, and Kayla Steele recorded her second hit of the season.
Brooklyn would continue its losing streak on Monday, Mar. 30 against Hunter College. Despite allowing 29 runs between the two games (18 in the first, 11 in the second), Brooklyn recorded its first runs of the season.
In game one of the double-headers, Brooklyn scored five runs. Leading the charge for the Bulldogs was catcher Stella Witkowski, hitting two triples and recording two RBIs. Brooklyn’s losses to Hunter marked its fifth and six straight losses.
The Bulldogs wrapped up the past two weeks with another double-header, this time against Baruch on Apr. 1. Brooklyn lost the first game 11-2. No Bulldog recorded an RBI, but shortstop Chanel Jemmott and center fielder Carolina Alfonso scored on errors. The second game of the day was yet another loss for the Bulldogs, 12-4. This time the Bulldogs earned three of their runs.
Chanel Jemmott singled in the fifth inning, scoring one, and Carolina Alfonso also singled in the fifth, scoring two. First baseman Zoey Van Vleet scored on an error in the second.
Things could have gone better for the Bulldogs. In eight games, Brooklyn allowed 125 runs while only scoring 11. It may not be an ideal start for the Bulldogs, but there is plenty of time to turn things around. Brooklyn will be looking to secure its first win on Apr. 5 against Yeshiva University.
Men’s Tennis Impresses Against Hunter College
By Owen Russell
The tennis team won in their first taste of CUNY competition this past Thursday, Mar. 31.
The Bulldogs battled conference rival Hunter, marking the team’s first CUNYAC match of the season. Brooklyn won the contest narrowly, beating Hunter 5-4. Freshman Ryan Sham and sophomore Aymen Kuc secured Brooklyn’s only doubles victory of the match, defeating Hunter’s team in #1 doubles. Brooklyn nearly won every singles competition on its way to victory. Along with their doubles victory, both Sham and Kuc won singles matches as well.
Brooklyn should be riding high after its win against Hunter. The team will look to continue their momentum into their next game against St. Elizabeth University on Apr. 4.