Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Even a brief power outage wasn't going to hold the Manhattan College volleyball team back on Wednesday night. The match was delayed for about 15 minutes halfway through the third set, but the Lady Jaspers had turned the lights off on Lafayette well before that. Manhattan (7-5) earned its sixth straight win, knocking off the Leopards (4-9) 25-13, 25-21, 25-22 at Draddy Gymnasium.
In the first set, Manhattan took control early and never seized control, using a 17-4 run to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 19-7 lead. Lafayette went on a mini-run to get back within nine at 20-11, but the Lady Jaspers responded with a 4-1 rally, reaching set point on a block by LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah). A kill by Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) then capped off the Lady Jaspers' 25-13 first set win. Manhattan hit a stellar .452 (18 kills, four errors, 31 attempts) in the first set.
Lafayette scored the first five points of the second set, then extended its advantage to 10-3 before the Lady Jaspers stormed back. Manhattan rallied for seven straight points with Havens serving to tie it at 11-11. The Leopards regained the lead, 17-14, before a 6-1 Manhattan run put the Lady Jaspers back in front, 20-18. After Lafayette scored the next two points to tie it at 20-20, Manhattan rallied for the next three to make it 23-20. A Havens service ace finished off a 25-21 set win that gave the Lady Jaspers a 2-0 lead in the match. The Lady Jaspers continued their solid offensive production in the second set, committing just two errors and hitting .324 (13 kills, 34 attempts).
The sides traded runs to open the third set before Manhattan used an 8-1 rally to open up a 14-7 advantage. Lafayette scored the next three points, but the Lady Jaspers immediately responded to make it 17-12. The Leopards claimed the next point, then the lights went out. It started raining, heavily, as the set began, and the thunderstorm resulted in a power surge in Draddy Gymnasium. After about 15 minutes, the match resumed.
When play resumed, Lafayette's Karissa Ciliento served three successive aces to bring her team within one, 17-16. Manhattan pushed its lead back to three at 19-16, but the Leopards scored the next four points to go in front, 20-19. However, a kill by Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) on the next point ignited a 4-0 Manhattan run that got the Lady Jaspers to match point. Lafayette fought off two match points before another Rahey kill sealed a 25-22 win that clinched the match, 3-0. It was Manhattan's first 3-0 win since sweeping Navy on Sept. 11 to begin the team's current winning streak.
Havens paced the Lady Jaspers with 11 kills on .500 hitting. She also recorded three aces. Strutner notched her fifth straight double-double with 11 kills and a match-high 11 digs. Alexa Lampasona (Remensburg, N.Y.) recorded 10 kills, while Rahey added nine kills. Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) dished out 36 assists. Aurore Kullak (Beloeil, Belgium) tallied nine digs and Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) had eight, as the Lady Jaspers outdug the Leopards 47-36. Overall, Manhattan hit an impressive .347 (45-10-101) in the match.
Katrina Racibarskas tallied 11 kills and hit .421 to lead the Leopards. Kayly Elmer added nine kills and nine digs, while Alana Taylor had seven kills and four blocks. Molly Belcher distributed 27 assists, and Mackenzie Larsen registered nine digs. Ciliento recorded four aces. The Leopards hit .144 (30-16-97) as a team.
"We have a lot of confidence right now," Head Coach Mark Jones said. "We're consistent. We're getting consistent passing and we have four or five hitters that can get double figures in kills, but the defense is also picking it up for us right now. Right now, we're just putting it all together."
The last time Manhattan won six straight, the Lady Jaspers recorded 15 straight victories from Oct. 1-Nov. 8, 2003. Manhattan won the MAAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament that season.
The Lady Jaspers look to make it seven in a row this weekend, when they resume Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with a pair of road matches. Manhattan (2-0 MAAC) visits Fairfield (3-10, 2-0 MAAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, then travels to Iona (8-4, 2-0 MAAC) for a 2 p.m. tilt on Sunday.
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