Loyola Knocks Off Manhattan In Four Sets

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – With Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play set to begin next weekend, the Manhattan College volleyball team began its final early-season tournament against Loyola on Friday afternoon.  In each team's opening match at the UMES Fall Fling, the Jaspers (5-5) fell to the Greyhounds (4-5), their former MAAC rivals, by a 25-22, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20 count at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's Hytche Center.

After Loyola jumped out to a 14-8 lead in the first set, a kill by Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) started a 9-2 spurt that put the Jaspers in front 17-16.  The Greyhounds scored the next three points to take a 19-17 advantage, but Manhattan rallied to tie it at 20-20.  Loyola regained a three-point edge at 23-20 before the Jaspers claimed back-to-back points to pull within one, 23-22.  However, Loyola captured the next two points to seal a 25-22 set win.

Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) served three aces in the first five points of the second set, as Manhattan took a 5-0 lead.  After an ace by Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) made it 8-4, Loyola went on a 9-4 run to go up 13-12.  Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) tied the score with a kill on the next point, starting an 8-4 Jaspers rally that gave Manhattan a 20-16 edge.  The Jaspers hit .296 (11 kills, three errors, 27 attempts) in the set, posting a 25-18 win to even the match.

Manhattan opened up a 4-2 cushion in the third set, but Loyola claimed 12 of the next 14 points to pull in front 14-6.  After the Jaspers responded with a 6-2 rally to get within four at 16-12, the Greyhounds ended the set on a 9-4 spurt to claim a 25-16 triumph.

In the fourth set, there were seven early ties before Loyola used a 3-0 run to turn a 9-9 deadlock into a 12-9 advantage.  After the Jaspers won the next two points to get back within one, 12-11, the Greyhounds countered with three in a row to retake a four-point edge, 15-11.  A Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) ace again brought Manhattan within two at 16-14, but it would get no closer, as Loyola finished off the set, 25-20, and the 3-1 victory.

Van Dyk smashed 18 kills on .394 hitting and added 11 digs to complete a double-double.  Behrens contributed six kills and made just one error, hitting .312.  She also recorded three blocks.  Casey Monroe (Riverview, Fla.) tallied five kills and three blocks, while Janjusevic had seven kills and eight digs.  Gray finished with 26 assists and three aces, and Yamashiro notched nine digs.  As a team, the Jaspers hit .202 (39-17-109) in the match.

Molly Werts had a triple-double for the Greyhounds, posting 10 kills (on .692 hitting), 31 assists and 15 digs.  Haley Puddy and Stacey Kazalas recorded 12 kills apiece, and Puddy also recorded seven blocks.  Molly Cichosz added 11 kills, while Anna Eckstein and Micah Duzey each tallied eight digs, as Loyola outdug Manhattan 45-42.  The Greyhounds hit .275 (53-20-120) as a team.