Old Westbury women's volleyball picked up its first victory of the 2026 season Thursday night, rallying past Baruch College 3-2 in a five-set thriller at Old Westbury. The Panthers dropped the opening set 25-22 but answered with a 25-20 victory in the second before Baruch responded with a dominant 25-14 third-set win. Old Westbury then took the fourth set 26-24 and closed out the match with a 15-10 victory in the deciding fifth set.
Nicole Zugnoni and Paige Herbert led the Panthers with 10 kills apiece, while Amaya McFadden added eight kills. Julia Brandes paced the Old Westbury offense with 23 assists, while Ava Cavanaugh finished with 18 digs. Zugnoni also recorded four service aces, with McFadden adding three as the Panthers finished with 10 aces overall.
Baruch produced a strong offensive performance despite the loss, finishing with 52 kills compared with 41 for Old Westbury. Karolina Lundqvist led the Bearcats with 11 kills, while Maria Zecchinel added nine kills on a .412 hitting percentage and Sarah Sellami contributed eight kills and a team-high seven aces. Karen Pozo Castro recorded 35 assists and six aces, while Pei Qiong Ren led Baruch defensively with 19 digs.