Men’s Volleyball Lands Two Wins, One Loss
By Owen Russell
The men’s volleyball team won two of three games this week. Their season record sits at 7-12.
Brooklyn’s first match of the week came on Mar. 18 against Medgar Evers. The Bulldogs went down to the wire with the Cougars to eke out a close victory. Brooklyn and Medgar Evers traded sets from the jump. Medgar Evers won the first and third, while Brooklyn won the second and fourth. For the first time this season, the match would be decided by a crucial fifth set. First team to have scored 15 points won. The beginning of the set mimicked the flow of the entire match, as the Bulldogs and Cougars traded blows, but ended with a tie at 5-5. The set seemed destined to be a slugfest, however, Brooklyn had other plans at the final point. The Bulldogs went on a run, scoring seven straight points. Medgar Evers was hopeless to catch up. Brooklyn won the final set 15-10 as sophomore David Lema led the team with 37 assists. Junior Tommy Min scored 18 kills and two aces to help the Bulldogs win a nail-biter.
The Bulldogs’ second match of the week was not as thrilling. Brooklyn suffered a three-set sweep at the hands of Baruch College on Mar. 21. The Bearcats simply overpowered the Bulldogs, pummeling them in three straight sets (25-7, 25-15, 25-16). At the mercy of Baruch’s serve, the Bulldogs faced a weak spot. Brooklyn allowed 19 aces, while only scoring one of their own. Senior Fidel Maldonado Jr. led the team in kills, scoring five.
On Friday, Mar. 24, the Bulldogs defeated Lehman College, scoring their third CUNYAC win of the season. Brooklyn battled in the first two sets, earning close victories (25-18, 29-27). However, the Bulldogs could not secure the sweep in the third set. Lehman won 25-22 in the third set. Brooklyn remained unphased, not balking at Lehman’s challenge. The Bulldogs stifled the Lightning, winning the fourth set 25-16. Brooklyn formed a wall defensively, recording nine blocks compared to Lehman’s one. David Lema recorded 44 assists. Tommy Min recorded 18 kills and 18 digs.
Women’s Softball Drops Most Matches
By Owen Russell
The women’s softball team played six games this week, including three double-headers, losing all but one of the contests.
Brooklyn’s first double-header came on Mar. 18 against the University of Valley Forge in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Brooklyn got shelled out the gate by the Patriots from Valley Forge in game one. In the first two innings, Brooklyn allowed six runs without scoring any of their own. By the end of the fifth inning, Brooklyn still trailed 6-1 with just two innings left to play.
All seemed lost for the Bulldogs, but anything can happen on the softball field. Brooklyn caught fire in the sixth inning, scoring six runs to take the lead. How’d they do it? A mixture of luck and skill. The Bulldogs compiled hits and scored on two errors by the Patriots. So while only four of the runs were considered “earned” in the stat sheet, Brooklyn still took control of the game. In the final inning, Brooklyn scored one more run. They then allowed one run to the Patriots, but managed to get three outs to end the game. Brooklyn won a glorious comeback 8-7 thanks to an offensive onslaught in the sixth. Freshman catcher Kaitlyn Belfield scored three RBIs for the Bulldogs while earning two hits and one walk.
The Bulldogs could not replicate game one’s magic in game two against Valley Forge. Brooklyn lost 10-1 in five innings. The Bulldogs just could not contain the Patriots’ offense from the first pitch, allowing two runs in the first inning and three runs in the fifth. Unlike earlier in the day, Brooklyn could muster a comeback. They managed just one run in the fourth inning. Junior infielder Yesileidy Paulino tripled to score catcher Kaitlyn Belfield.
Brooklyn’s second double-header of the week proved even more challenging as the Bulldogs lost two blowouts to New Jersey City University on Mar. 21. Game one saw the Bulldogs score zero runs in five innings. NJCU scored eight runs: six runs in the second inning and two in the third. Despite the high score, Brooklyn pitcher Danielle Guzzardi allowed just one earned run. Seven of NJCU’s eight runs came on fielding errors by the Bulldogs. Bad fundamentals can lose a team the game, as evidenced by the blowout loss in game one.
Game two failed to fare much better for the Bulldogs. Brooklyn lost 7-1 in another crushing blowout. This time around all seven of NJCU’s runs were earned, so at least the fielding errors were fixed. The Bulldogs held NJCU scoreless for the first two innings, and were only down 1-0 after three innings. A three run rally in third put the Bulldogs down four, and then another three run rally in the sixth closed the door on Brooklyn. The Bulldogs’ sole run came on a throwing error, allowing sophomore infielder Zoey Van Vleet to score in the sixth inning.
Brooklyn’s third and final double-header of the week featured the “Battle for Brooklyn” against St. Joseph’s. Game one was an ugly affair. Brooklyn allowed six runs in the first inning, then five in the third. When it was all said and done, Brooklyn lost 12-1 after five innings of challenging play. Brooklyn’s lone run came when Zoey Van Vleet scored on a wild pitch.
Game two proved to be equally as frustrating for the Bulldogs. Brooklyn failed to score in seven innings, while allowing six runs to the visiting Bears. The majority of the damage was dealt in the fourth inning when St. Joseph’s scored five runs. Four of those runs were scored as unearned. The loss brings Brooklyn’s record to 3-5.
Men’s Tennis Gives Split Performance
By Owen Russell
The men’s tennis team split its two matches this week. Their record stands at 2-2.
Brooklyn’s first match on Mar. 22 was a win against St. Joseph’s (Long Island). The Bulldogs dismantled the Eagles, winning eight of the nine matches. Brooklyn’s doubles teams swept the competition going 3-0. Doubles #1 team, Ryan Sham and Aymen Kuc, beat their opponent in quick succession, winning 8-2. Freshman Allen Mardakhayev scored a win in #6 singles, his third of the season.
Brooklyn’s second match failed to be as fortuitous. The Bulldogs lost 7-2 to Farmingdale State College on Mar. 24. Farmingdale swept Brooklyn in doubles competition. The Bulldogs were able to steal two wins in the singles portion. Sophomore Mujibur Shaad won #5 singles, while junior Mordecai Lev won #6 singles.