Box Score
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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - There was no way that the Manhattan College volleyball team would let its seniors end their home careers with anything other than a win. On Sunday afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium, the Lady Jaspers (16-13, 9-7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) gave Aurore Kullak (Beloeil, Belgium), Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.), Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) and Jayne Timo (Holbrook, N.Y.) the perfect going away present, a 25-22, 25-8, 25-20 triumph over Rider (3-23, 2-14 MAAC) that extended Manhattan's winning streak to five straight.
"This was a special day, with it being the last home match for the seniors," Head Coach Mark Jones said. "It was a little emotional in the beginning, but I knew coming into this match that we would continue doing what we do best. It was a total team effort today."
Manhattan scored the first three points of the match before Rider rallied to take a 12-9 lead. The Lady Jaspers battled back to tie the score at 13-13, but the Broncs claimed the next two points to go back in front, 15-13. However, a kill by Rahey on the next point sparked a 7-0 Manhattan run that gave the Lady Jaspers a 20-15 advantage. Rider responded with a 6-0 spurt of its own to reclaim the lead, 21-20. From there it was Manhattan's turn to rally, as the Lady Jaspers took the next four points to get to set point, and Strutner pounded one down to close out a 25-22 win.
In the second set, a block by Maddie Heck (Corte Madera, Calif.) and Alexa Lampasona (Remensburg, N.Y.) on the first point immediately set the tone. Manhattan scored the first 10 points of the set, and extended its advantage to 13-2 on a service ace by Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.). The Lady Jaspers cruised to a 25-8 set win that gave them a 2-0 lead in the match. Manhattan hit .345 (12 kills, two errors, 29 attempts) in the third set, compared to Rider's -.081 (5-8-37).
The Lady Jaspers again established early control in the third set, using back-to-back Bies aces to gain an 8-2 advantage. After Manhattan extended its lead to 13-5 on a block by Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) and LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah), Rider went on a 13-5 run of its own to tie it at 18-18. However, the Lady Jaspers never relinquished their lead, and a 6-1 Manhattan rally, capped by another block from Collareta and Havens, moved the Lady Jaspers within one point of victory. Manhattan took the third set by a 25-20 count to finish off its second straight 3-0 victory.
Strutner had a double-double in her final home match, notching team highs with 11 kills and 11 digs. Rahey finished with seven kills and four digs, while Kullak tallied seven digs and Timo posted three digs. Havens slammed nine kills and hit .467. She also recorded five digs and three blocks. Bies served three aces to go along with nine digs, as the Lady Jaspers outdug the Broncs 53-41. Collareta handed out 29 assists and added six digs. Overall, Manhattan hit .214 (35-14-98) as a team.
For Rider, Katelyn Thompson posted a team-high seven kills and Megan Knott tallied six kills. Kristy Love had five kills to go along with four blocks, while Amanda Piccolini distributed 25 assists. Elyse Grassmuck recorded a match-high 15 digs and Brittany Gajewski added 10 digs. As a team, the Broncs hit .075 (30-22-107) in the match.
Manhattan ends the regular season with a pair of road matches next weekend. The Lady Jaspers visit Saint Peter's (6-20, 2-13 MAAC) on Saturday at 2 p.m., then take on Loyola (13-17, 7-9 MAAC) at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the regular season finale.
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