Baruch College Bearcats athletics was a bit quieter this week regarding game volume. But men’s tennis, volleyball and baseball all represented the Bearcats this week.

Men’s tennis

The men’s tennis team swept the John Jay College Bloodhounds 5-0 in the CUNY Athletic Conference semifinals to advance to its fifth straight CUNYAC Finals.

Prior to the match, Christopher Tham, Philip Dwan, Jim Bauer and Elijah Wingfield were celebrated for Bearcat Appreciation Day. Each played his final home match of the season.

Like the regular season, there are three doubles matches and six singles matches in the CUNYAC tournament. Whoever wins five of the nine total matches wins the contest.

The Bearcats routed the Bloodhounds on April 23 as Tham and Nicholas Santiago led the way in the No. 1 doubles match, sweeping it 8-0. Bauer and Juan Paredes matched their performance in the No. 2 doubles match.

Dwan swept the No. 5 singles match, winning each of his two sets 6-0.

The Bloodhounds forfeited the No. 3 doubles match and No. 6 singles match, automatically giving the Bearcats the extra two wins necessary to achieve five wins.

Once any team achieves five wins, all other matches slated for the round stop, as per CUNYAC rules, as the team with five victories is declared the victor.

The Bearcats will take on the Hunter College Hawks on April 27 in the CUNYAC Finals. The Bearcats look to win their fifth straight CUNYAC championship, excluding the 2020 and 2021 seasons that were canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Men’s volleyball

By virtue of its CUNYAC Finals win against the Hawks, the Bearcats men’s volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Division III Round of 16. The Bearcats, as the No. 16 seed, lost to the No. 1 seeded Vassar College Brewers 3-0 on April 21.

The Bearcats entered the match as the underdogs, given the seeding differential. The Brewers played to their potential, outscoring the Bearcats in every major statistical category: points, kills, aces, blocks, assists and digs.

The Brewers also held the Bearcats to a 3.8% hitting percentage. In comparison, the Brewers posted a 44.3% hitting percentage.

Haoxin Hu led the Bearcats in kills on the outing, scoring eight. Akil Vaughn led with one ace and three blocks. Ryan Oommen posted 14 assists and four digs.

The Bearcats wrap up an excellent CUNYAC season and look to continue their momentum next season.

Baseball

The Bearcats baseball team started its week against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Mariners, losing the April 18 matchup 12-3.

Andrew Horyczun, Joseph Cocozza and Jake Ourvan each scored a run in the loss. Brian Baek pitched the first 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs and eight hits.

Jude Jackson followed up for the next 2.1 innings, allowing four hits and four runs. William Corda finished the next two innings, allowing two hits and one run.

The Bearcats then faced the City College Beavers for a doubleheader on April 22, splitting the matchup at a win apiece.

The first game saw a 9-8 Bearcats win on a clutch single in the bottom of the seventh inning by Pedro Tejada Jr.

Nathaniel Demchak pitched for the first four innings, allowing five hits and five runs. Jack Miller pitched the remaining three innings, allowing two hits and three runs.

The Beavers won the second half of the doubleheader 2-1. It was a low-scoring contest, but the Beavers were able to pull off a late-game run that the Bearcats could not respond to.

Tejada Jr. scored the Bearcats’ sole run in the outing.

Jeremy Ramirez pitched the entire game, allowing six hits and two runs, but striking out four.

The baseball team has a busy week ahead, facing Manhattanville College on April 25, New York University on April 27 and John Jay College on April 29.