EASTON, Pa. - The Manhattan College volleyball team entered Tuesday night's match at Lafayette looking to gain some momentum going into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) season. The Jaspers (4-5) got exactly what they were looking for, rallying from two sets-to-one down to post a 21-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 15-12 victory over the Leopards (6-3) at Kirby Sports Center. It was Manhattan's second five-set win of the year and eighth consecutive five-set triumph dating back to last season.
Lafayette took an early 4-2 lead in the first set before Manhattan responded with a 10-4 run, going ahead 12-8 on a service ace by Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.). A block by Brittany DeGagne (Penticton, B.C.) and Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) gave the Jaspers a 17-12 lead, but the Leopards rallied for seven of the next eight points to go back in front, 19-18. The score would be tied at 19-19, 20-20 and 21-21 before the Leopards' Danielle Towslee pounded a kill that sparked a 4-0 rally that gave Lafayette the set, 25-21.
In the second set, Manhattan took control early, quickly opening up an 8-1 advantage. After a kill by Alexa Lampasona (Remsenburg, N.Y.) gave the Jaspers a 12-5 edge, Lafayette scored four of the next five points to pull within four, 13-9. Manhattan responded with a 5-2 spurt to regain a seven-point lead at 18-11, but the Leopards again rallied back, pulling within two at 20-18. However, that's as close as Lafayette would get. Manhattan ended the set on a 5-1 rally to clinch a 25-19 win and even the match at one set apiece.
After the third set started out tight, Lafayette eventually opened up a 12-6 lead. Manhattan scored the next three points to get back within 12-9, but the Leopards responded with a 4-0 run to bring their lead back to seven points, 16-9. A four-point Manhattan rally capped by a Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) ace brought the Jaspers back within three at 16-13, but that's as close as it would get the rest of the set. The Jaspers used a late 5-1 run to trim their deficit from 22-16 to 23-21 before Lafayette won the final two points to seal a 25-21 set win.
Facing a must-win situation in the fourth set, Manhattan fell behind early, 10-7. However, the Jaspers quickly got a kill from Lampasona, a Bies ace and a block by Mariana Furquim (Curitiba, Brazil) and LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah) to tie it at 10-10. After Lafayette took the next point, Manhattan went on an 11-2 run to take control. A Havens kill finished off the set, 25-17, and sent the match into a decisive frame.
Manhattan started the final set by taking a 3-1 lead, but Lafayette scored the next two points to tie it. The Jaspers then got back-to-back kills from Lampasona and Havens to regain a two-point edge before the Leopards rallied to tie the score at 7-7. The set would be tied a fourth time at 8-8, after which Manhattan seized command. The Jaspers went on a 6-2 run to reach match point, and sealed the victory by taking the set, 15-12. Manhattan hit a solid .348 (10 kills, two errors, 23 attempts) in the fifth set.
Havens notched a match-high 15 kills to go along with three aces and seven blocks. McGuinness tallied 13 kills and three blocks, while Furquim had 11 kills on .333 hitting. Bies led the Jaspers with 14 digs and Haselhorst contributed 11 digs. Hollegn Henderson (Long Beach, Calif.) dished out 40 assists in the victory. Manhattan hit .131 (54-32-168) as a team.
Towslee posted 13 kills and hit .393 for Lafayette, while Kaitlynn Zoller added 10 kills. Christy Mebust tallied a match-high 20 digs and Melanie Weiss collected 14 digs, as the Leopards outdug the Jaspers 68-58. Sarah Frohnapfel distributed 44 assists for the Leopards. As a team, Lafayette hit .161 (54-29-155) in the match.
After opening the season with nine straight matches away from Draddy Gymnasium, the Jaspers will be home for their next five contests. Manhattan's home opener will be a 2 p.m. matchup with MAAC rival Saint Peter's (0-11, 0-1 MAAC) on Saturday.
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