Gray Just Misses Triple-Double In Four-Set Triumph

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) had the best match of her Manhattan College career on Saturday afternoon.  She just missed a triple-double, finishing with nine kills, 43 assists and 12 digs, as the Jaspers (11-8, 4-3 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) knocked off Niagara (6-11, 2-4 MAAC) 24-26, 25-22, 25-11, 25-17 at Draddy Gymnasium.  Gray also hit .562 in the match, not committing an error in 16 attempts, and added two service aces.

“Jade had a great game,” Head Coach Mark Jones said.  “She really focused on what she needed to do and set a really good offense.  The hitters responded well to that.”

There were 10 ties and four lead changes in a back-and-forth first set.  Manhattan opened up an 11-8 advantage before Niagara responded with a 9-2 run to go in front 17-13.  The Jaspers scored four of the next five points to get within one, 18-17, but the Purple Eagles countered with a 3-1 spurt to push their lead back to three, 21-18.  After three straight Manhattan points tied it at 21-21, the Purple Eagles reached set point at 24-22.  The Jaspers fought off two set point opportunities, then Niagara had another at 25-24.  This time the Purple Eagles converted, getting a block from Alex Stone and Alexis Gray to wrap up a 26-24 set win.

It was more of the same early in the second set.  After Niagara went up 3-1, Manhattan rallied to tie the score at 6-6.  The Purple Eagles scored the next three points to make it 9-6 before a Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) kill started a 4-0 Manhattan run that gave the Jaspers a 10-9 advantage.  The Jaspers extended that cushion to 18-14, but Niagara rallied back, forcing a 21-21 deadlock.  Following a timeout, Clare Bozzo (Salinas, Calif.) smashed a kill to put Manhattan back in front, and Van Dyk put away a kill to give the Jaspers a 25-22 set win that evened the match at one set apiece.

Manhattan came out of the 10-minute intermission on fire, scoring the first nine points of the third set.  After Niagara pulled within 12-6, the Jaspers went on a 4-0 rally, opening up a 16-6 advantage on a Gray kill.  Gray had another kill to make it 19-8, as Manhattan cruised to a 25-11 set win.  Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) slammed a kill, Manhattan's 18^th of the stanza, on set point.  The Jaspers made just one attack error in 30 attempts during the set, hitting a stellar .567.

After the Jaspers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set, Niagara scored five of the next six points to go in front 5-4.  Manhattan responded with a 5-0 rally to regain the lead, 9-5, before the Purple Eagles countered with three points of their own to make it 9-8.  Behrens followed with a kill that started an 11-4 Manhattan run, extending the Jaspers' advantage to 20-12.  Niagara rattled off five straight points to trim the margin to three, 20-17, but a McGuinness kill began a 5-0 spurt that closed the match.  Gray put away her career-high ninth kill to finish off the set, 25-17, and the 3-1 match victory.

Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) also had a double-double for the Jaspers, notching match-highs with 17 kills and 23 digs.  Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) added 15 kills and two blocks, while Van Dyk tallied nine kills and 10 digs.  Bozzo made her first career start and finished with a career-high six kills on .385 hitting.  Behrens, meanwhile, hit .364 with five kills to go along with four blocks and four assists.  Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) recorded 21 digs for the Jaspers, who outdug the Purple Eagles 77-61.  Manhattan hit .260 (61-21-154) as a team.

Nicole Matheis recorded 11 kills, 14 digs and five blocks for Niagara.  Rayenne Hale added nine kills, while Stone had 10 blocks.  Amanda Sedore finished with a team-high 15 digs to go along with three aces, while Rylee Hunt collected 13 digs.  Alexis Gray, meanwhile, registered 28 assists, nine digs and four blocks for the Purple Eagles.  As a team, Niagara hit .068 (39-28-161) in the match.