Box Score
Box Score
PEORIA, Ill. – After dropping the first set, the Manhattan College volleyball team (5-1) rallied to take the next three and post a 20-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-16 victory over UMass Lowell (0-6) in its first match of the CEFCU Classic at Renaissance Coliseum on Friday. Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) had a match-high 17 kills and added 16 digs for the Jaspers.
Van Dyk was one of two Jaspers with a double-double in the victory. Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) had 10 kills and 12 digs. Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) notched seven kills on .429 hitting to go along with four blocks, while Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.), playing in her home state for the first time as a collegian, tallied six kills and hit .333 and Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) finished with five kills and a .308 hitting percentage. Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) handed out 22 assists and also registered three blocks, and Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) distributed 11 assists. Manhattan outdug UMass Lowell 75-64, with Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) posting 22 digs and Alyssa Rehrer (Lorton, Va.) contributing 11 digs. She also served five aces. As a team, the Jaspers hit .233 (50 kills, 16 errors, 146 attempts) in the match.
Haley Shimon paced the River Hawks with 12 kills, while Rachel Arnason had a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Alexa Toth dished out 28 assists and Lauren Bennett tallied seven blocks, as UMass Lowell outblocked Manhattan 9-4. Lindsay Visvards added a match-high 26 digs for the River Hawks, who hit .167 (39-15-144) as a team.
UMass Lowell scored the first four points of the match and never trailed in the opening set. The Jaspers tied it at 13-13 on a Kostic block, but the River Hawks rattled off eight of the next 10 points to open up a 21-15 advantage. Manhattan got back within four at 23-19 before UMass Lowell closed out a five-point, 25-20, set win.
There were seven lead changes early in a second set that also featured 11 ties. UMass Lowell led 15-14 before a block by Peric and Kostic started a 3-0 Manhattan run that put the Jaspers in front 17-15. After a Van Dyk ace made it 21-18 Jaspers, the River Hawks claimed the next two points to get back within one, 21-20. However, Janjusevic and Volovski followed with back-to-back kills to increase Manhattan's advantage to three, 23-20, and a Janjusevic kill finished off the set, 25-21.
The Jaspers took the first two points of the third set, but the River Hawks rallied to tie it at 4-4. With Manhattan clinging to an 8-7 lead, Van Dyk smashed a kill to start a four-point run that made it 12-7. After UMass Lowell got back within three at 12-9, the Jaspers went on an 11-4 spurt to extend its advantage to 11 points at 23-12. Manhattan then finished off the set, 25-13, on kills by Janjusevic and Van Dyk.
In the fourth set, UMass Lowell claimed the first two points and led 3-1 before a 4-0 Manhattan run put the Jaspers in front 5-3. The margin reached five when a Van Dyk kill made it 14-9, and the Jaspers opened up a 22-13 cushion when Rehrer served three aces in a four-point span. After Van Dyk pounded a kill to set up match point, Peric and Kostic combined on a block to cap the set, 25-16, and a 3-1 Jaspers win. As a team, Manhattan had 17 kills and committed just one error in the fourth set, hitting an impressive .593.
Manhattan continues the tournament with a pair of contests on Saturday. The Jaspers face Weber State (2-3) at 1:30 p.m. ET before a 7 p.m. ET matchup with host Bradley (3-1) that will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
