Washington, D.C. (September 2, 2006)-After picking up its first win of the season earlier in the day at the American Volleyball Classic by sweeping Howard University, Manhattan dropped the nightcap in three games (30-21, 30-16, 30-26) to host and tournament champion American University.
Manhattan outside hitter
Sherryta Stokes capped off her weekend with nine kills in the match and earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, but Stokes was unable to upstage Tournament MVP, Rubena Sukaj. With a match-high 13 kills and .393 hitting percentage, Sukaj led an American attack that hit .297 overall. When Sukaj wasn't hurting Manhattan, Elizabeth Maloney was. Maloney hit a whopping .455 for the Eagles with 11 kills.
Despite the setback, the Lady Jaspers received some solid contributions from the team's newcomers. In addition to Stokes, who is in her first season at Manhattan after transferring form St. John's University, freshman middle
Rita Welsh and freshman outside hitter Kandice Watson put up respectable numbers.
Watson dug up a team-high 13 attacks and added six kills on the offensive end. After recording eight kills and three blocks in the victory over Howard, Welsh led Manhattan with 10 kills and a .273 hitting percentage against American.
As they return to Riverdale for the Labor Day holiday, the Lady Jaspers will have some time to regroup; they do not play another match until Friday, September 8 at the Seton Hall Classic in South Orange, N.J.
