Box Score
Click here to view the 2011 Manhattan Volleyball Yearbook
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Something had to give in the Manhattan College volleyball team's final non-conference match of the season on Wednesday night. The Jaspers entered the match on a three-match winning streak, while Army had won five straight coming in. Unfortunately, it was the Black Knights (18-6) who saw their streak extended, as they posted a 25-18, 26-24, 25-14 victory over the Jaspers (14-10) at Draddy Gymnasium.
Army opened up a 4-1 advantage early in the first set before the Jaspers rallied back to trim their deficit to one, 7-6. After the Black Knights went back up by four, 11-7, Manhattan responded with a 4-1 spurt, pulling within one when a kill by LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah) made it 12-11. However, Army won the next point and quickly pushed its lead back to four at 19-15. A kill by Mariana Furquim (Curitiba, Brazil) brought Manhattan within three at 20-17, but the Black Knights ended the set on a 5-1 rally, getting back-to-back blocks from Francine Vasquez and Megan Wilton to take the opening frame, 25-18.
After the Black Knights claimed the first two points of the second set, a kill by Alexa Lampasona (Remsenburg, N.Y.) ignited a 5-0 Manhattan run that gave the Jaspers the lead. Lampasona pounded another kill to extend the cushion to 15-10, then Havens and Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) combined for a block that made the score 18-12 in favor of Manhattan. After a Lampasona kill put the Jaspers in front 21-15, Army rallied for the next six points to tie the score. It would be tied again at 22-22 and 23-23 before Manhattan reached set point on a McGuinness kill. The Black Knights tied the score once again, then earned a set point of their own at 25-24. The second set ended just as the first set had, with Vasquez and Wilton combining for a block to give Army a come-from-behind 26-24 win.
A Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) service ace gave Manhattan an early 3-1 lead in the third set before Army rallied to tie it at 6-6. The Jaspers went back in front on a Lampasona kill that made it 8-7, but the Black Knights took control from there. Army won 18 of the final 24 points to take the third set, 25-14, and the match, 3-0. As a team, the Black Knights committed just one error and hit .382 (14 kills, 34 attempts) in the third set.
Havens was the only Jasper in double figures with 10 kills. She also tallied three blocks. Lampasona added seven kills. Hollegn Henderson (Long Beach, Calif.) had a double-double with 28 assists and 11 digs, while Kelsey Huntoon (Monroe, Mich.) posted a team-high 12 digs. Bies recorded two aces to go along with nine digs. As a team, Manhattan hit .103 (33-20-126) in the match.
Ariana Mankus finished one dig shy of a double-double for Army. She notched 16 kills on .368 hitting and nine digs. Wilton hit .588, slamming 11 kills, and added six blocks, as the Black Knights outblocked the Jaspers 11-3. Mary Vaccaro registered a double-double with 45 assists and 14 digs. D.J. Phee also collected 14 digs, as Army outdug Manhattan 61-49. The Black Knights hit .331 (51-12-118) as a team.
Manhattan, which currently sits fourth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), concludes the regular season with seven straight conference matches. The Jaspers (7-4 MAAC) take on Canisius (9-14, 4-8 MAAC), a team they defeated in five sets on Oct. 2, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, then face first-place Niagara (18-7, 12-0 MAAC) at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Because of a schedule conflict at Draddy Gymnasium, both matches this weekend will be held at Riverdale Country School.
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