BCC to Host Women's Volleyball Letter of Intent Signing Press Conference

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will officially launch its new athletics program with its first Women's Volleyball Letter of Intent signing ceremony and press conference on Thursday, April 24, at 3:45 p.m. at the Paterson Field House gymnasium.

High school athletes Hannah Burrows from Wahconah Regional High School, Maya Creamer from Miss Hall's School, Jazmine Gregory from Hoosac Valley High School, and Jasmin Aslan from Taconic High School will sign their letters of intent to join BCC's inaugural Women's Volleyball team for the fall 2025 semester. The college will also launch its first Men's Baseball team in spring 2026. Both sports will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) against other Massachusetts community colleges and schools across the Northeast.

New volleyball head coach Evaguel Rhysing will discuss her vision for the BCC Falcons volleyball team this fall. Michael Muscato, the new baseball head coach, will also be present to discuss recruitment for the spring 2026 baseball team.

"We're reaching out to any athletes who want to continue playing volleyball or baseball and take advantage of the benefits of free community college," said Daryl Shreve, director of recreational services at the college. "Now that we're in the NJCAA league, our students can seamlessly transfer to their school of choice without missing a beat. It's a win-win."

Rhysing has already hired former Mount Greylock volleyball player Chelsea Garrison as an assistant coach for the Falcons volleyball program. The team's first game will be a home game on Sept. 11 against Massasoit Community College.

BCC is experiencing record enrollment thanks to free community college for Massachusetts residents without a bachelor's degree. Students who qualify can attend BCC for a more affordable education and continue playing competitive sports. Fall classes begin on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025.

For more information about the college's athletics program, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/athletics.


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Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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