Riverdale, N.Y. (October 20, 2006)-With the fifth and deciding game deadlocked at 13, Kandice Watson and
Sherryta Stokes registered back-to-back kills to boost Manhattan Volleyball to a MAAC victory over Rider University on Friday night at Draddy Gym.
Fittingly, the final two points came from Watson and Stokes, capping off double-double nights for the two outside hitters. Watson, a freshman, notched 13 kills and 17 digs for the Lady Jaspers, while Stokes, a sophomore, was responsible for a match-high 21 kills and 12 digs.
Watson was one of five Manhattan players to finish the night with double-digit digs, but it was another Watson who served as the Lady Jaspers' key defensive player. Junior libero
Ashley Watson averaged a whopping 7.2 digs per game to finish with a new career high of 36.
Manhattan also received production from the middle with freshman
Rita Welsh and senior co-captain
Whitney Judkins notching 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Welsh, who hit a team high .478 for the match, did not commit a single error in 23 attack attempts.
Rider's Lacey Johnson had a double-double of her own with 16 kills and 24 digs to help the Broncs climb back into the match after dropping the first two games. In the end, however, the Kandice Watson, Stokes, and the Manhattan attack proved to be too overwhelming for the Broncs. The Lady Jaspers out hit Rider by more than 120 percentage points.
Manhattan, which improves to 8-14 overall and 5-6 in MAAC play with the victory, looks to pick up a second straight conference win on Sunday afternoon at Iona College.
