Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, NY – After spending most of the early season on the road, the Manhattan College volleyball team enjoyed the comforts of home on Wednesday night. The Jaspers (5-12, 2-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) won for the fifth time in seven outings, snapping a two-match losing streak with a 25-21, 25-23, 25-22 triumph over Rider (7-10, 1-4 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
Rider jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set before a Sandra Lozanova (Pernik, Bulgaria) kill started a 6-1 Manhattan rally that gave the Jaspers a 7-6 advantage. Manhattan extended the margin to 18-15 on a Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) block, but the Broncs responded with a 6-3 spurt to tie the score at 21-21. A Lozanova kill put the Jaspers back in front, then an Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, HI) service ace made it 23-21. Manhattan claimed the next two points, as well, to notch a 25-21 set win.
“We came out and we really wanted it,” Olyvia Chaltas (Temecula, CA) said. “We had a lot of energy, and I think that always makes all the difference.”
In the second set, Rider again took an early lead. The Broncs were up 5-1 when Yamashiro was credited with a kill to ignite a 7-1 run that gave the Jaspers an 8-6 advantage. However, Rider went on a 7-0 spurt of its own to go ahead 16-11. Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) slammed a kill to halt the Rider rally and start a 7-3 Manhattan clip that pulled the Jaspers even at 19-19. With the score knotted at 23-23, Kostic and Zoe Lindsey (McHenry, IL) teamed up for a block that brought Manhattan to set point. Lindsey then connected with Kostic for a kill that ended the frame, 25-23, and gave the Jaspers a 2-0 lead in the match.
“The last few points of the (second) set, I think the most important thing is that we passed in system,” Head Coach Mark Jones said. “We were able to side out and we kept the pressure on them, and they were the ones who made the mistakes.”
There were eight ties in the first set, as Manhattan went up 3-1 before Rider rallied to pull ahead 8-6. The Jaspers countered with four straight points, though, taking a 10-8 lead on a kill by Janjusevic. With the score even at 15-15, Kostic ripped a kill to put Manhattan back in front. Janjusevic followed with three straight kills of her own to extend that advantage to 20-15. The Jaspers reached match point at 24-20, and fittingly, it was Kostic that put away a 25-22 win that sealed Manhattan's first 3-0 victory of the season.
Kostic smashed 13 kills on .476 hitting to pace the Manhattan offense. She also had two blocks and two aces. Chaltas added 12 kills, while Janjusevic contributed nine kills and nine digs. Lindsey recorded a double-double with 38 assists and 13 digs, and Yamashiro tallied a match-high 14 digs. Lozanova notched nine digs, as the Jaspers outdug the Broncs 55-50. Manhattan hit .219 (47 kills, 19 errors, 128 attempts) as a team.
Kaitlyn Griffin and Ryan Ackermann led Rider with seven kills apiece. Griffin also registered four blocks. Veronica Koval recorded a double-double with 30 assists and 13 digs, while Emma Aldaya had 11 digs to go along with three aces. As a team, the Broncs hit .162 (34-16-111) in the match.
Manhattan continues its homestand on Saturday with a 1 p.m. contest against Siena (3-11, 2-2 MAAC). In last season's matchup at Draddy Gymansium, the Jaspers came back from two sets down to knock off the Saints in five.
