Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan College volleyball team was riding high after defeating Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)-leading Marist in straight sets on Sunday afternoon. The Jaspers (17-11, 10-5 MAAC) carried that momentum into Wednesday night's match, as they began a season-ending four-match homestand with a 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 victory over Rider (16-12, 9-5 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
“It (the Marist match) definitely gave us a lot of confidence,” Head Coach Mark Jones said. “We did a lot of good things in that match, and I think it carried over into tonight.”
Manhattan came out on fire, getting four early kills to open up a 5-1 lead. The Jaspers extended their advantage to 14-6 before Rider went on a 5-0 run to pull within three, 14-11. However, Manhattan responded with seven of the next nine points, opening up a 21-13 cushion on a kill by Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.). The Broncs claimed the next four points to trim the margin to four, 21-17, but the Jaspers reached set point when a kill by Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) made it 24-19. She then ripped another kill, her eighth of the set, to finish off a 25-21 win for the Jaspers.
Rider jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set before the Jaspers went on a 6-2 run to pull in front, 7-6. The Broncs scored three straight points to go back in front 9-7, but Manhattan responded with another 6-2 spurt to regain the lead, 13-11. After a McGuinness kill made it 19-17 in favor of the Jaspers, Rider claimed the next four points, putting the Broncs ahead 21-19. A McGuinness kill stopped the rally and ignited a set-ending 6-1 Manhattan run. Van Dyk put away a kill to wrap up the 25-22 set win.
In the third set, Manhattan raced out to a 6-0 lead and extended that advantage to 11-3 on a block by Van Dyk and Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii). However, Rider responded with a 9-2 run to get within one, 13-12. A McGuinness kill sparked a 4-1 rally that pushed the Jaspers' lead back to four points, 17-13, before the Broncs scored three in a row to again trim their deficit to one. With Manhattan leading 19-18, Van Dyk smashed a kill to ignite a 5-0 run that brought the Jaspers to set point. A kill by Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) ended the set, 25-20, and sealed the 3-0 match win.
“We had a good game plan going in,” Jones said. “We served really tough tonight and we continued to play great defense throughout the match.”
McGuinness slammed a match-high 18 kills and added 11 digs. Van Dyk also had a double-double with 11 kills and 16 digs, while Volovski pounded 10 kills and committed just one error, hitting .375 in the victory. She also tallied three blocks, and Behrens posted four blocks. Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) distributed 38 assists to go along with nine digs. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) registered a match-high 22 digs, as the Jaspers outdug the Broncs 72-56. With 72 digs as a team, the Jaspers improved their season average to 18.12 per set, which moved them into second nationally in that category. Manhattan hit .203 (47 kills, 20 errors, 133 attempts) as a team.
Kaitlyn Griffin led the Broncs with 11 kills and four blocks. Jaclyn Webber added nine kills, while Ashlee Amatulli recorded a double-double with 16 assists and 13 digs. Veronica Koval handed out 12 assists, and Emma Aldaya tied for a team-best with 13 digs. As a team, Rider was held to .097 (34-21-134) hitting in the match.
With the win, Manhattan clinched the tiebreaker over Rider should the teams finish the season tied. The Jaspers also moved past the Broncs into fourth place in the MAAC standings, just one half-game behind second-place Fairfield and Siena. Manhattan and Fairfield will square off on Sunday, but first, the Jaspers welcome Quinnipiac (2-25, 0-14 MAAC) to Draddy Gymnasium at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Manhattan opened its MAAC schedule with a 3-1 victory over the Bobcats on Sept. 20.
