The College of Staten Island men’s volleyball squad earned the right to participate in the 2016 CUNYAC/Pepsi Men’s Volleyball Championship Tournament, and the action kicks off tonight with the No. 8 seeded Dolphins looking to strike an upset over top-seeded Baruch College.  It will be a tall order for the Dolphins, who finished just 4-12 in CUNYAC competition this season, while the Bearcats come in with a head of steam, taking out Hunter College on the regular season’s final day to earn the top spot with a 15-1 mark.

CSI vs. BARUCH COLLEGE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup:  CSI (8-19 overall, 4-12 CUNYAC) vs. Baruch College (16-12 Overall, 15-1 CUNYAC)
Where:  ARC Arena – 55 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
First Serve: 6:00 pm
Live Stats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/baruch/mvball/?
Live Video:  https://www.periscope.tv/BaruchAthletics?
All-Time Series: Baruch leads 4-0
This Year’s Result:   Baruch has won two meetings, 3-0 
Players To Watch (CSI):   If the Dolphins are to be successful tonight they will need big games from their up-front trio of Justin Edwardsen, Kevin Rosero and Khaleeq Baum.  Edwardsen leads the team with 161 kills, good for a .107 attack percentage.  He is also tops on the team on blocks and second in aces and digs.  Rosero and Baum both joined the team later in the season, and did not play against Baruch in the early-season meetings.  Rosero is averaging a healthy 1.89 kills per game, good for third on the team next to Edwardsen and Baum’s 1.92.  Baum has racked up 73 kills in just 38 games.  Look for Song Shin Low to be of critical importance at the service line as he leads the squad with 40 service aces.
Players to Watch (BC):  Brady Ambro is the man in the middle getting it done for Baruch this season, leading the way with 250 kills on a team-high 610 attempts.  Steven Roach is just as potent, knocking down 181 kills and good for a robust .221 attack percentage.  Scott Strandling is an All-Star who leads the way with 59 service aces and CSI will have to be on the alert when he toes the line.  Defensively, the Bearcats are held down by Taylor Higgs’ 160 digs, followed by Ambro’s 113.
News and Notes:  Despite being 11 games under .500 overall, CSI did eclipse its win total of six last season in only its second year as a varsity sport.  They have also won four out of their last seven matches, and the Dolphins have been very competitive of last, taking at least a single game in six out of their last 11 losses, proving that will not go quietly.  Baruch is on a two game skid after defeating Hunter, 3-2, to win the CUNYAC regular season championship.  Those two losses, however, came against the Nos. 1-2 ranked teams in the nation, New Paltz and Springfield College.  The Bearcats have beaten CSI by 3-0 scores in all four of their previous meetings this year and last.  The last time the two teams played, however, was back on February 18.  Tonight marks the first time the two teams are playing at Baruch’s ARC Arena.  The last two Baruch home games against CSI were played on neutral courts.