Box Score
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - It was a record-setting evening for the Manhattan College volleyball team on Friday night. The Lady Jaspers (7-15, 3-8 MAAC) set a pair of NCAA records, one for most points in a set and another for most points in a three-set match, in a 3-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) victory over Rider (3-19, 1-10 MAAC) at the Student Recreation Center. Manhattan won the first set 45-43, setting a new NCAA mark for points in a set. The Lady Jaspers also set a new record for total points in a three-set match, tallying 96 points in the 45-43, 26-24, 25-16 victory.
Manhattan and Rider combined for 88 points in the first set, breaking the record of 76 set by Stony Brook (39) and Central Connecticut State (37) on Aug. 30, 2008. The old record for total points in a three-set match was 88 by Michigan against Indiana on Oct. 18, 2008. All NCAA records were reset when the 25-point scoring system was adopted for the 2008 season.
The epic first set featured 33 ties and 17 lead changes. Rider used a 6-0 run to turn a 19-16 deficit into a 22-19 advantage before Manhattan climbed back to force a 23-23 tie. The Broncs scored the next point to earn the first set point of the frame, but Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) responded with a kill to tie it at 24-24. After a service ace by Aurore Kullak (Beloeil, Belgium) gave Manhattan its first set point, Rider scored the next point to force another tie.
Manhattan had each of the next four set point chances, but committed a service error each time. In all, the Lady Jaspers had 14 opportunities to close out the set and the Broncs had seven before things were finally decided. Manhattan reached set point for the 14th time on a block by Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif.) and Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.), then finally closed out the 45-43 win on an error by Rider's Brittany Hayes. The Lady Jaspers had 24 kills in the first set, including 10 by Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.). Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.) hit .636 in the set, slamming eight kills and committing just one error in 11 attempts.
While the second set wasn't quite as dramatic as the first, both teams matched their intensity level and again played beyond the regulation 25 points. Rider used a 4-1 run to turn a 5-5 deadlock into a 10-6 advantage, and Manhattan spent most of the set playing catch-up. The Lady Jaspers pulled within one at 20-19, but the Broncs responded with four of the next six points to reach set point at 24-21. Manhattan refused to give in after winning the long first set, and battled back to force a 24-24 tie. Maddie Heck (Corte Madera, Calif.) and Kullak teamed up for a block to give the Lady Jaspers their first set point at 25-24, then Heck and Kullak drove home another block to cap a 26-24 win that gave Manhattan a hard-fought 2-0 lead.
After the excitement of the first two sets, Manhattan won the third fairly easily. There were three early ties, running the match total to 41, before the Lady Jaspers broke the set open with a 5-0 run that gave them a 15-9 lead. Rider scored the next three points to get back within 15-12, but Manhattan responded with three of the next four points to bring its lead back to five, 18-13. Another 5-0 Manhattan rally brought the Lady Jaspers to match point at 24-15, and Manhattan closed out the match on its second opportunity, winning the third set 25-16.
Whereas the Lady Jaspers totaled 100 points in their five-set win over the Broncs on Sept. 19, Manhattan finished just four points shy of that total in Friday's straight-sets triumph. Welsh finished with 16 kills on .412 hitting, while Strutner registered a double-double with 15 kills and 13 digs. Collareta also tallied a double-double with 36 assists and 10 digs. Rahey just missed a double-double with nine kills and seven digs. She also notched three blocks. Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) led five Lady Jaspers in double figures with 16 digs. Kullak recorded 15 digs to go along with three blocks, while Laura Bellotti (Dix Hills, N.Y.) added 13 digs. As a team, Manhattan hit .175 (44-16-160) in the match.
Katelyn Thompson was the only Rider player in double figures with 11 kills. Hayes added nine kills, while Kristy Love and Stephanie Nagy each had eight. Amanda Piccolini finished one dig shy of a double-double. She tallied 40 assists and nine digs. Amy Jeary registered a match-high 21 digs and Tara Hansen added 10, as each team recorded 75 digs in the match. Rider hit .113 (50-30-177) as a team and had 50 kills to Manhattan's 44, but the Broncs committed 30 attack errors and 16 service errors.
The victory snapped Manhattan's four-match losing streak and concluded the Lady Jaspers' season-long five-match road trip. Now Manhattan will be home for five straight and seven of its final nine matches, starting with a 12 p.m. matchup against Saint Peter's (6-15, 3-7 MAAC) on Saturday. The Peahens posted a five-set victory over the Lady Jaspers on Sept. 20 in Jersey City. A live webcast of the match will be available via JasperVision at www.gojaspers.com.
NCAA Records Set Friday Night*:
Most Points, Single-Set (25-point format)45, Manhattan vs. Rider (43)-10/23/09(Old record: 39, Stony Brook vs. Central Connecticut (37)-8/30/08) Most Points (Both Teams), Single-Set (25-point format)88, Manhattan (45) vs. Rider (43)-10/23/09(Old record: 76, Stony Brook (39) vs. Central Connecticut State (37)-8/30/08) Most Points, Three-Set match (25-point format)96, Manhattan vs. Rider-10/23/09(Old record: 88, Michigan vs. Indiana-10/18/08) *-pending other records set during 2009 season
