NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The College of New Rochelle hosted the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s volleyball championships on Saturday, November 4 at the Wellness Center. The CNR Blue Angels were regular season champions and entered the tournament as the one seed. CNR defeated Pratt, No. 3 seed, in straight sets to claim the 2017 HVIAC women’s volleyball championship.
This win was the fifth-straight HVIAC title for the Blue Angels. The team did not drop a set during the regular season conference play or in the championships.
Sophomore Simaima Fukofuka (Garden Grove, CA) was selected as tournament MVP. She scored a tournament best 33 points with 13 kills, 16 aces and six blocks. In the final match, she hit a stellar .889 finishing eight kills on nine attempts, with zero errors. Coach Kaufman said, “Fukofuka performs consistently well for the team and today she was exceptional on the court. She is a hardworking student-athlete who is respected by her teammates because of her attitude and performance. I am excited to see her continued growth in her future seasons as a Blue Angel.”
Sophomore Imani DeBose (Carson, CA) led the attack in the championship match with a match best 12 kills while holding a .625 hitting percentage. Graduate student Melanie Ann Lopez Soto (Gurabo, PR) led the offense well earning 20 assists.
The HVIAC also announced the season awards at the championships on Saturday. Sophomore setter / right side Cristal Michelle Liciaga (San Juan, P.R.) earned Player of the Year. Liciaga averaged 6.0 assists, 3.17 kills and .42 blocks per set to help the Blue Angels finish 4 – 0 in league play. She has also recorded five triple-doubles over the Blue Angels 18 – 10 season. Liciaga along with DeBose and Fukofuka were all named to the All-Conference Team.