Box Score
Box Score
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) collected her 1,000th career dig on Saturday afternoon, becoming just the fifth player in Manhattan College volleyball history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. She finished with 18 digs and a match-high 20 kills, but it was not enough, as the Jaspers (8-8, 2-3 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) suffered a 25-18, 17-25, 25-20, 18-25, 15-11 loss to Rider (9-7, 4-0 MAAC) at Alumni Gymnasium. It was Manhattan's fourth straight defeat and third consecutive conference loss.
McGuinness, who reached 1,000 kills in the Jaspers' five-set win at Fairfield on Sept. 21, entered the match three digs away from the milestone. She got there midway through the first set, joining Amy O'Dorisio (1999-2002), Kim Frederick (1998-2001), Paige Carson (1993-96) and Diane Strutner (2007-10) as the only members of the 1,000 kill-1,000 dig club.
She led four Jaspers with double-digit kills. Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) also had a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs, while Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) finished with 11 kills and Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) added 10 kills. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) recorded a match-high 30 digs and Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) recorded 19 digs, as Manhattan outdug Rider 106-100. Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) handed out 25 assists and Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) distributed 24 assists for the Jaspers, who hit .234 (68 kills, 18 errors, 214 attempts) as a team.
Jennifer Borio hit .432 for Rider, slamming 16 kills without an error in 37 swings. Jaclyn Webber had 14 kills and 16 digs, while Kaitlyn Webber recorded 14 kills on .314 hitting. Kayla Wong added 12 kills for the Broncs. Brandie Hill finished with 29 assists and 10 digs, and Ashlee Amatulli also posted a double-double with 27 assists and 16 digs. Emma Aldaya paced the Broncs with 24 digs. Meanwhile, Alaina Piszczek tallied 15 digs and Ryan Ackermann collected 14 digs. As a team, Rider hit .261 (68-13-211) in the match.
Rider controlled the first set from the start. The Broncs scored the first five points of the match before extending that lead to 8-1 and 11-2. After Manhattan pulled within five at 18-13, Rider countered by scoring six of the next eight points to go up 24-15. The Jaspers fought off three set points, but the Broncs eventually closed out the frame by a 25-18 count.
Manhattan took an early 7-4 lead in the second set before Rider scored four straight points to go in front 8-7. With the Broncs leading 14-13, Van Dyk slammed a kill to even the score for the 11th time during the set. That kill also started a 4-0 rally that gave the Jaspers a 17-14 advantage. After a Rider block to halt the run, Van Dyk pounded another kill to start a 6-0 spurt that gave Manhattan a 23-15 lead. A kill by McGuinness (the Jaspers' 19th of the set) finished off a 25-17 set win for the Jaspers, evening the match at one set apiece.
In the third set, the momentum shifted back in Rider's direction. The Broncs started the set with a 3-0 run and led 13-4 before Manhattan got a kill from Volovski that started a 4-2 spurt. After the Jaspers pulled within 15-8 on a Peric kill, Rider responded with three straight points to run its lead to 10 at 18-8. However, a Kitlar kill on the next point began a 6-2 rally that brought Manhattan within six at 20-14. The Broncs reached set point at 24-16, but needed five opportunities before finally wrapping up a 25-20 win that gave them a 2-1 edge in the match.
Continuing the back-and-forth trend of the match, Manhattan never trailed in the fourth set. The Jaspers took an early 3-0 lead and held a 6-2 advantage before Rider scored three of the next four points to pull within two, 7-5. However, Manhattan countered with a 5-1 rally, extending its lead to 13-6 on a Haselhorst service ace. The margin was still seven points at 18-11 when the Broncs went on a 7-4 run to trim its deficit to four, 22-18. That's as close as it would get, though, as the Jaspers scored the final three points of the stanza, and a Peric kill on set point ensured the contest would go the distance. Manhattan hit a combined .519 in the set, smashing 15 kills and making just one error on 27 attempts in the 25-18 win.
There were seven ties in the final set, as neither side was able to build an advantage of more than two points early on. Rider led 4-2 before Manhattan won four of the next five points, taking a 6-5 lead when Yamashiro was credited with a kill to end a long rally. The Jaspers led 8-7 when the teams switched ends, but the Broncs captured the next two points to go back in front. After a Peric kill knotted the score at 9-9, Griffin slammed a kill to put Rider ahead for good. The Broncs scored the final three points of the match, reaching match point on a Hill ace, then getting a kill from Ackermann to clinch the set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2. Rider didn't commit an attack error in the fifth set, hitting .385 (10 kills, 26 attempts) in the decisive frame.
With the defeat, Manhattan has now dropped three consecutive conference matches for the first time since losing four in a row from Oct. 21-Nov. 3, 2012. That stretch, which came in the midst of a five-match overall skid, also marks Manhattan's last losing streak of at least four matches.
The Jaspers look to snap their skid on Sunday, when they visit Saint Peter's (3-9, 1-3 MAAC) for a 1 p.m. matchup. The Peacocks earned a five-set win over Iona on Saturday.
