Full Mar. 15 episode of “Hawk Athletics” hosted by David Horn.
The Hawks took on the undefeated Baruch College in a showdown to potentially decide first place in the conference for volleyball. With the Commissioner’s Cup scores growing closer between the two schools, this game was vital to potentially swinging the momentum in Hunter’s favor.
The women’s softball team faced a tough start to their season but played with resilience. And following the end of the women’s basketball season, David Horn spoke with John Garrett about his coaching philosophy and plans for the team next year.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
After a exemplary start to conference play, men’s volleyball started the week losing 3-0 to the Rutgers-Newark team on Mar. 8.
However, this step up in competition was much needed for the Hawks, whose next fixture would be the most important of the season so far.
Hunter hosted rivals Baruch College on Mar. 12. Baruch and Hunter were joint-first in the preseason athletics poll, and at the time of their meeting were both undefeated in CUNYAC.
In a packed Hunter gym, Baruch started hot, silencing the crowd with their victory in set one.
Hunter fought back to win the second set narrowly by 25-22. Pivotally though, the Hawks hit 48% to Baruchs 5%.
The third set was the most contested. Baruch went up 24-18 and looked sure to win the set. Inexplicably, they committed five errors in a row and the game was suddenly within one point for the Hawks at a score of 24-23.
Hunter’s luck eventually ran out. Junior setter Ryan Oommen placed a perfect set for middle hitter Juancarlos Henriquez who rifled the ball through the center of the Hawks’s defense to take a 2-1 lead.
Somehow, set four managed to top the third in excitement. Tied at 24-24, Hunter needed a win to have a chance. Freshman outside hitter Kyle Foley got two kills to put the Hawks up 26-25. On the final play, Baruch set up a spike, but a colossal partnership of outside hitter Muhammed Al-Amine Mbaye and middle blocker Annes Deljanin set up a wall on the other side of the net.
Deljanin got the final touch, blocking the ball back onto the Baruch side and pushing the match to the final set.
The crowd erupted following the play, and the momentum seemed to swing again in Hunter’s favor.
Despite the deflating set four loss, the Baruch team kept their composure starting the final set. The first team to 15 points would win, and at the midpoint, the score was 8-7 in favor of Baruch.
Baruch took control past this point and never looked like giving their lead-up despite a great effort from the Hawks.
The final set ended 15-10 to Baruch.
Even though the Hawks were disappointed, they still have another opportunity to play Baruch this season, so no playoff positions are secure as of now. The game was incredibly close, with three of the sets being separated by only three points. Realistically, the Hawks still have a chance of getting the top spot.
Following their loss, the Hawks proceeded to win back-to-back 3-0 victories against Medgar Evers at the end of the week to regain their perfect record in the conference. Other than their match with Baruch, no CUNY team has taken a set off of the Hawks this season.
WOMEN’S SOFTBALL
A new season started for the women’s softball team on Mar. 12. as the Hawks faced Stevens Institute of Technology in a doubleheader, playing them on two occasions that day.
Last year, Hunter finished 7-2 in conference play last spring and was tipped to finish first by the coaches in the annual preseason poll. However, they bowed out in the playoffs to John Jay, and are looking to regain their top spot this season.
The first match was an unfavorable showing for Hunter. They lost 9-1 with catcher Samantha Marsala being the only Hawk to reach home base.
The second game two hours later was an upgrade for the Hawks, who played Stevens much more closely. Although Stevens took a 6-3 lead after two innings, The next five saw Hunter and Stevens tie 4-4.
The game ended 10-7 to Stevens, but Hunter showed they could compete with the best programs in the area, as Stevens are 10-6 on the season, and are setting themselves up well for the CUNY season.
Outfielder Olivia Palumbo stood out, scoring three of Hunter’s seven runs.
GUEST OF THE WEEK: JOHN GARRETT
On the WHCS radio, women’s basketball coach John Garrett joined David Horn this week to discuss his decade-long involvement with Hunter athletics.
Garrett was originally hired to be the associate director of athletics before moving into a coaching role. However, although he had previously worked around many different athletic departments, one thing set Hunter apart immediately.
“The Hunter student is driven,” said Garrett. “Because of where we are, the academic rigors, the makeup of the school, and the diversity, you get a great person that’s more self-aware than the other students I’ve worked with in the past.”
But it was not only the students that caught Garrett’s attention. He started his tenure at Hunter at the same time as longtime athletic director Terry Wansart. At his first athletic banquet, Wansart’s speech left a lasting impression on him.
“It was the first time in my professional career,” said Garrett. “Where I thought ‘this is different.’ This is not just, ‘Hey, we’re excited that we participated’ or that we gave great effort. That was below the barrier.”
Garrett was all-in on this environment right away. He stressed student-athletes’ first responsibilities should always be to their studies and their athletics, and they have to make sacrifices along the way.
“There’s an expectation of greatness, of winning,” said Garrett. “It’s not just having the best record. Winning means winning in the classroom.”
However, he does not believe that competitiveness should get in the way of his relationship with his players.
“Off the court, everybody deserves my time,” said Garrett. “There’s no difference between whoever is the best player and whoever the last person is. As a human, they deserve my time the same way.”
Garrett’s views on coaching have clearly been well-received by his players. The women’s basketball team was 7th in the nation in steals, averaged around 80 points per game, and scored a total of nearly 3,000 points during the season.
“I was never good enough as an athlete… I would never get [coaches] time,” said Garrett. “My job is not only to make them better basketball players, we can do both.”
Nothing could show Garrett’s success more than the accolades received by current player Alexa Charles. Following a standout season for the Hawks, Charles was named to the D3Hoops.com All-Region third team after leading the whole of CUNY in field goal percentage and total rebounds, as well as finishing second overall in points per game and steals per game.
Outside of his success as a coach, Garrett also manages the recreation, intramurals, and fitness at Hunter and works on the procurement of supplies for the department.
Although he has a myriad of responsibilities, Garrett heaped praise on his coworkers for the parts they play in making the Hawks function.
“It’s all teamwork,” said Garrett. “I get a lot of credit, but at the same time, I’m just helping people.”
When asked about his plans for next year, Garrett has one goal for his team.
“To get to the NCAA tournament and see what we can do,” he said.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Next week’s coverage will feature three more conference games for men’s volleyball as they approach the playoffs. Volleyball head coach Chris Schortgen will speak with David Horn on the WHCS radio about his thoughts on the volleyball season.
Additionally, another back-to-back for softball against Montclair State University can hopefully help them get their season on track.
“Hawk Athletics” is a sports show hosted by David Horn airing every Friday at 12 p.m on the Where Hunter College Speaks (WHCS) radio station. The Envoy’s Conor Sullivan breaks down Horn’s weekly show and recaps the latest on all things Hunter athletics.
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