Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – On Sunday afternoon, the Manhattan College volleyball team rallied from two sets down to force a decisive frame against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Rider. However, the Jaspers (14-9, 8-2 MAAC) were unable to complete the comeback, as the Broncs (11-8, 3-6 MAAC) posted a 27-25, 25-17, 20-25, 15-25, 15-6 victory at Draddy Gymnasium.
There were 12 ties and seven lead changes in the first set. Rider pulled ahead 3-1 before Manhattan stormed back to take a 10-6 advantage. The Broncs responded with a 13-5 rally to take a 19-15 lead. However, Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) smashed a kill on the next point to spark an 8-3 Manhattan run that put the Jaspers in front 23-22. The Jaspers reached set point when an Ellie Wiekamp (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) kill made it 24-23, but Rider claimed the next two points to earn a set point of its own. After Wiekamp and Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) teamed up on a block that evened the score at 25-25, the Broncs won the next two points to capture the set, 27-25.
Rider continued its run into the second set, as the Broncs jumped out to an 11-3 lead. After Rider extended that advantage to 23-10, Manhattan began storming back. The Jaspers went on a 7-1 rally and fought off four set points before the Broncs closed out a 25-17 set victory.
Trailing two sets to none, Manhattan began the third with back-to-back kills from Wiekamp and Kitlar. Rider rallied to take a 5-4 lead, but the Jaspers responded with a 10-2 run to go up 14-7. The Broncs got back within three at 16-13 before a McGuinness kill sparked a 4-1 spurt that increased Manhattan's advantage to 20-14. Rider again battled back, scoring five of the next six points to cut its deficit to two, 21-19. However, the Jaspers took the next three points to reach set point, and Manhattan extended the match with a 25-20 set win.
The Jaspers carried their momentum into the fourth set, opening up an early 7-3 lead on a Kitlar service ace. After Rider pulled within 9-7, a pair of Wiekamp kills and a block by Kitlar and Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) brought the margin back to five points, 12-7. Manhattan eventually extended its cushion to 18-11 and cruised to a 25-15 set win. The Jaspers hit a combined .455 (19 kills, four errors, 33 attempts) in the fourth set.
In the fifth set, Rider took control early and never looked back. The Broncs raced out to a 5-1 lead and didn't surrender consecutive points at any time during the set. Rider hit an outstanding .533 (9-1-15) in the final frame, taking the set 15-6 to claim its first victory in Riverdale since 2004 and snap Manhattan's seven-match conference winning streak.
Wiekamp had a double-double for the Jaspers, posting 14 kills and 13 digs. McGuinness added 14 kills and nine digs, while Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) hit a stellar .562, smashing nine kills without an error in 16 attempts. She also recorded four blocks. Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) tallied 12 kills and Kitlar registered 10 kills. Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) contributed 12 kills and Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) notched 11 digs, as the Jaspers outdug the Broncs 70-62. Peric posted 14 digs and three blocks to go along with 50 assists.
After tying a season-high with 11 aces against Saint Peter's, Manhattan was held to just three (compared to Rider's 10) on Sunday. Offensively, the Jaspers hit a combined .218 (64-28-165) in the match.
Kaitlyn Griffin slammed 13 kills and hit .462 for Rider. She also served three aces. Nicole Moorman added 12 kills and five blocks, while Jaclyn Webber tallied 11 kills, 14 digs and four aces. Ashlee Amatulli notched a double-double with 28 assists and 15 digs, and Alaina Piszczek equaled a match-high with 15 digs. Meghan Bartsch handed out 11 assists for the Broncs, who hit .191 (54-24-157) as a team.
Despite the loss, Manhattan remained one half-game behind first-place Siena, which fell in five sets to Fairfield on Sunday, in the MAAC standings. The Jaspers and Saints will meet in a crucial showdown on Saturday, but first, Manhattan concludes non-conference play with a visit to Fairleigh Dickinson (1-19) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.
