Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) and Mariana Furquim (Curitiba, Brazil) both had 13 kills and the Manhattan College volleyball team hit a whopping .441 (52 kills, 11 errors, 93 attempts) as a unit to make its home opener a successful one, as the Jaspers (5-5, 1-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) notched a 25-15, 25-9, 25-15 victory over Saint Peter's (0-12, 0-2 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. McGuinness didn't commit an error in the match, hitting .684.
"It was good to play on our home court and have that home-court advantage," McGuinness said. "It was fun having people rooting for us."
A crowd of 621 came out to see the Jaspers play on the Draddy Gymnasium court for the first time in 2011, and they were treated to an excellent show by the home team.
"We had a great crowd tonight," Head Coach Mark Jones said. "It was exciting to see all the fans in the stands."
Saint Peter's got off to a good start, taking an early 5-2 lead in the first set before a kill by Hollegn Henderson (Long Beach, Calif.) sparked an 11-4 Manhattan run that gave the Jaspers a 13-9 advantage. The Peahens got back within two at 17-15, but Alexa Lampasona (Remsenburg, N.Y.) responded with a kill. McGuinness took over from there, serving two aces during a 7-0 rally that finished off the set. Lampasona and Brittany DeGagne (Penticton, B.C.) combined on a block to cap the 25-15 win. As a team, Manhattan hit .483 in the set, pounding 18 kills and making just four errors in 29 attempts.
The Jaspers carried their momentum into the second set. Manhattan scored the first three points of the frame, then used an 11-1 run to open up a 14-3 advantage. The Jaspers' hitting was even more impressive in the second set. Manhattan hit .538, committing just two errors compared to 16 kills in 26 attempts. A kill by LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah) finished off a 25-9 set victory.
Manhattan used another early run to seize control of the third set, getting a kill from McGuinness to start a 6-0 rally that turned a 6-3 lead into an 11-3 advantage. After Saint Peter's got back within 13-8, Havens pounded a kill to ignite a 6-1 run that extended the Jaspers' cushion to 10 points at 19-9. Manhattan put things away when Furquim slammed her 13th kill of the match to wrap up the set, 25-15.
"You always want to win the first one and set the tone for the rest of the conference (matches)," Jones said. "We had great team chemistry today and worked really well as a team."
McGuinness had seven digs and two aces to go along with her 13 kills on 19 errorless attempts. Furquim hit .435 in the match, committing just three errors in 23 attempts, while Lampasona hit an impressive .429 (7-1-14). Henderson distributed 42 assists to go along with five kills and four digs. Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) tallied a match-high 10 digs, as Manhattan outdug Saint Peter's 38-21. She also notched two of Manhattan's six aces, as the Jaspers held a 6-0 advantage in that category.
For Saint Peter's, Paige Petersen led the way with eight kills. Kristina Baehr handed out nine assists to go along with a team-high eight digs, and Anna Molokotina added eight assists. Kassi Wirth notched five blocks for the Peahens. Overall, Saint Peter's hit .151 (23-12-73) as a team.
The Jaspers continue their season-long five-match homestand with a non-conference tilt against Providence (4-9) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
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