Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - On Wednesday night, the Manhattan College volleyball team snapped its six-match losing streak by utilizing a weapon it hadn't taken advantage of much this season: the serve. The Lady Jaspers (8-21) had a season-high 11 service aces, including five from Laura Bellotti (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and four from Kelsey Huntoon (Monroe, Mich.), in a 25-19, 25-20, 25-21 victory over Providence (10-16) at Draddy Gymnasium.
The first set was tight early on, as there were 11 ties and five lead changes. The Friars opened up the first significant lead when they used a 6-2 run to turn a 9-8 deficit into a 14-11 lead and prompt a Manhattan timeout. The Lady Jaspers scored four of the next five points out of the timeout to force a 15-15 tie. With the score knotted at 16-16, Huntoon served back-to-back aces to spark a 6-1 run that gave Manhattan a 22-17 advantage and essentially put the set away. The Lady Jaspers hit .342 (16 kills, three errors, 38 attempts) in a 25-19 first-set victory.
After Providence scored the first point of the second set, Manhattan went on a 9-0 run that included four Bellotti aces. Providence responded with five of the next six points, getting two aces from Carly Morrison and another from Shelby Spicer, to trim the Lady Jaspers' lead to 10-6. Manhattan ran its lead back to six points at 13-7 on an ace by Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.), but the Friars used a 6-0 run to tie it at 13-13. A Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif.) kill put Manhattan back in front, 14-13, and ignited an 8-0 Lady Jaspers run that featured two of Huntoon's aces. Manhattan reached set point when a Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.) kill made it 24-15, and Providence fought off five set point opportunities before Welsh slammed another kill to cap a 25-20 set win. Manhattan continued its solid hitting in the second set, hitting .300 (13-4-30).
The Lady Jaspers surrendered a 2-0 lead in a five-set loss at Loyola on Sunday, but on Wednesday, they made sure that wouldn't happen again. Manhattan jumped in front 4-2 before Providence rallied for the next four points to pull ahead 6-4. The Lady Jaspers scored the next two points to tie the score, one of 12 ties in the set. The final deadlock came at 16-16, which the Lady Jaspers broke with a 4-0 run that gave them a 20-16 advantage. That 4-0 rally was the start of a 9-1 run that brought Manhattan to match point at 24-17. Just as they did in the second set, the Friars refused to go down quietly, as Providence scored four straight points before Maddie Heck (Corte Madera, Calif.) put away a 25-21 win that sealed a 3-0 Manhattan match victory.
In addition to their stellar serving, the Lady Jaspers hit .293 (42-13-99) as a team in the match. Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) led the way with 11 kills, while Welsh slammed 10 kills on .333 hitting. Tidwell notched seven kills and didn't commit an error in eight attempts, hitting a career-high .875. Collareta handed out 28 assists and added four digs. Huntoon recorded a career-high 10 digs to go along with her career-high four aces, and Bellotti's five aces were also her career-high. Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) added nine digs, as Manhattan outdug Providence 38-34.
Shelagh Dolan hit .636 for Providence, slamming seven kills on 11 errorless swings. She also recorded three blocks. Lauren Fletcher contributed six kills for the Friars, while Morrison had four kills to go along with 24 assists and two aces. Cassie Muzzonigro tallied a match-high 13 digs for Providence. The Friars hit .233 (32-12-86) as a team.
Manhattan concludes the season with a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) matches over the weekend. The Lady Jaspers (3-13 MAAC) visit Iona (11-15, 8-8 MAAC) on Saturday at 1 p.m., then wrap up the 2009 campaign on Sunday, when Siena (13-12, 11-5 MAAC) comes to Draddy Gymnasium for a 2 p.m. match. It will be Senior Day, as Welsh will be honored prior to her final match in a Manhattan uniform.
Due to technical difficulties, the live webcast of the match was unavailable. The Manhattan Athletic Department apologizes for the inconvenience.
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