Jasper Offense Sparks 3-0 Rout of Howard

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) had a double-double and the Manhattan College volleyball team hit .280 (40 kills, 10 errors, 107 attempts) as a team, as the Jaspers (6-6) snapped their three-match losing streak with a 25-20, 25-19, 25-20 victory over Howard (8-4) at Draddy Gymnasium on Thursday.  McGuinness finished with match-highs of 12 kills and 13 digs, while also hitting .360 in the win.

Manhattan got off to a slow start, as Howard scored the first four points of the match and led 13-8 midway through the first set.  Trailing 15-10, the Jaspers went on an 8-1 rally, capped by a kill from one of the most unlikely players, libero Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii), that made it 18-16.  The Bison scored the next point to get back within one, but McGuinness followed with a kill and Manhattan opened up a 24-19 advantage on a service ace by Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.).  The Jasper offense was on fire in the first set.  Manhattan hit .467 (16-2-30) in the frame, winning by a 25-20 margin.

The Jaspers continued their roll in the second set.  After Howard took a 3-2 lead, Ellie Wiekamp (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) slammed a kill to start a 6-0 rally that put Manhattan in front 8-3.  The Bison pulled within 10-8, but a McGuinness kill on the ensuing point started a three-point rally that increased Manhattan's cushion to 13-8.  Howard once again made it close at 17-14 before a kill by Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) ignited a 5-1 spurt that gave the Jaspers a 22-15 advantage.  Kitlar and Wiekamp teamed up for a block that finished off the set, 25-19, and sent Manhattan into the locker room leading 2-0.

In the third set, the sides traded points early.  There were nine ties and four lead changes before Manhattan used a 7-0 run to turn a 9-9 deadlock into a 16-9 advantage.  The Bison responded with a 5-1 spurt that brought them within three at 17-14, but back-to-back kills by Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) and McGuinness pushed the Jaspers' advantage back to five points, 19-14.  Howard again chipped away, getting within three at 21-19, forcing Manhattan to call timeout.  Wiekamp slammed a kill following the timeout, and the Jaspers also won the next two points to increase their cushion to 24-19.  On Manhattan's second match point opportunity, Kitlar put away a kill to wrap up the set, 25-20, and end Howard's six-match winning streak.

“We were really focused,” Head Coach Mark Jones said.  “We had a good game plan and really executed.  I think the win was definitely a result.”

Volovski posted eight kills on .316 hitting, while Kitlar added seven kills and two blocks.  Peric hit .500, recording four kills without an error in eight attempts.  She also handed out 31 assists and tallied six digs.  Yamashiro contributed 11 digs.

“We got everybody involved, which was something we wanted to do coming in,” Jones said.  “We need everybody working well together.  Tonight we did that.”

Katherine Broussard led Howard with seven kills, while Stephanie Shultis, Destinee Harrison and Dominique Cleggett added six kills apiece.  Shultis also distributed 30 assists, and Allyson Lods notched 13 digs for the Bison, who outdug the Jaspers 51-45.  As a team, Howard hit .134 (37-22-112) in the match.