Box Score
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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Whenever the Manhattan College volleyball team faces Loyola, it's a pretty safe bet to say the match will likely go the distance. True to form, that was the case again on Saturday afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium, as the Jaspers and Greyhounds played five sets for the fifth consecutive time. After Loyola (4-11, 1-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) took a two-sets-to-one lead, Manhattan (7-5, 2-0 MAAC) battled back to force a fifth before prevailing 26-28, 25-16, 20-25, 25-12, 15-11.
"Loyola's a really tough team and they challenge us every time they play us," Head Coach Mark Jones said. "This is the fifth time we've played them (since I've been here), and we've gone five every single time. But the good thing is we've beaten them four out of five times."
As expected, the first set was tight. There were eight ties and four lead changes in the frame. Loyola quickly jumped out to a 6-1 advantage before a kill by Mariana Furquim (Curitiba, Brazil) started a 7-0 Manhattan rally that put the Jaspers in front 8-6. The Greyhounds countered with an 8-2 run of their own to take a 14-10 lead, but Manhattan scored four of the next five points to get back within one at 15-14.
With Loyola leading 21-18, an Alexa Lampasona (Remsenburg, N.Y.) kill followed by a Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) service ace and a Furquim kill tied it at 21-21. Loyola won the next point to regain the lead, but Manhattan responded with the next three, reaching set point on a Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) ace. However, the Greyhounds fought off two set point opportunities before getting one of their own at 25-24. Manhattan tied it at 25-25 on another Furquim kill, then a Hollegn Henderson (Long Beach, Calif.) kill knotted things up again at 26-26. Loyola finally converted on its third set point opportunity, taking the set by a 28-26 count.
The second set followed a similar pattern, featuring five ties and three lead changes. Manhattan opened up an early 4-2 lead before an 8-3 Loyola run put the Greyhounds in front 10-7. From there, however, the Jaspers seized control of the set. After a Loyola service error gave the serve back to Manhattan, the Jaspers rattled off nine of the next 10 points to take a 17-11 advantage. Loyola pulled back within four at 19-15, but a McGuinness kill ignited a 4-0 Manhattan run that brought the Jaspers' lead back to eight points, 23-15. A Henderson ace finished off the 25-16 set win.
In the third set, it was Loyola's turn to build the early advantage, jumping in front 4-1. Manhattan rallied to tie it at 6-6 before a 7-3 run gave the Greyhounds a 13-9 lead. The Jaspers were unable to pull any closer than two points the rest of the way, as Loyola hit .312 (13 kills, three errors, 32 attempts) in the set, which the Greyhounds won 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Facing a must-win situation in the fourth set, Manhattan came storming out of the gate, getting kills from LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah) and Furquim, as well as a block by Havens and Lampasona, to go up 3-0. Loyola tied it at 3-3, but a Lampasona kill on the next point started a 10-2 rally that put Manhattan up 13-5. A 9-2 Manhattan run followed, bringing the Jaspers to set point. The Jaspers hit .333 (11-3-24) to easily take set number four, 25-12. Loyola, meanwhile, hit -.088 (7-10-34) in the set.
The Jaspers carried that momentum into the final set, scoring four of the first five points. After a block by Henderson and Brittany DeGagne (Penticton, B.C.) gave Manhattan a 7-3 edge, Loyola claimed the next three points to get back within one. However, McGuinness responded with a kill, putting the Jaspers in front 8-6 as the teams switched sides. Back on the side of the net where they had won the second and fourth sets, the Jaspers continued their rally, reaching match point at 14-9. The Greyhounds won the next two points before a Havens kill put away the set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
"The fourth and fifth sets show what kind of a team we are," Jones said. "We can play very strong, and we can finish when it means the most. We got out of the gate really strong in the fifth set and we closed it, so I'm very proud of how we did in the fifth set."
McGuinness slammed a career-high 21 kills and added 15 digs for her second career double-double. Henderson also had a double-double, posting 51 assists and 13 digs. Havens tallied 14 kills and nine blocks, while Furquim notched 14 kills, seven digs and five blocks. Lampasona contributed 10 kills. Haselhorst recorded 17 digs to lead five Jaspers in double-figures, as Manhattan outdug Loyola 79-57. Kelsey Huntoon (Monroe, Mich.) registered 12 digs and two aces, and Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) collected 10 digs. The Jaspers hit .208 (65-32-159) as a team.
With the victory, Manhattan improved to 3-0 in five-set matches this year. Dating back to last season, the Jaspers have won their last nine five-set affairs.
Tina Catanach had a double-double for Loyola, notching 12 kills and 12 digs. Faye Lukas added 11 kills, while Jac Bullock tallied 10 kills and seven blocks. Lauren Andersen just missed a double-double for the Greyhounds, finishing with 35 assists and nine digs. Janet Pressler tallied a team-high 17 digs. Loyola had a negative hitting percentage in each of the final two sets and ended up hitting just .097 (45-29-165) for the match.
The Jaspers continue their five-match homestand on Sunday, when they host MAAC rival Rider (4-11, 2-2 MAAC) at 2 p.m. Rider notched a 3-0 victory over Saint Peter's on Saturday afternoon.
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