Loudonville, NY — Manhattan rallied to a third set victory on Saturday at the UHY Center, but couldn't force a fifth set as Siena surged to a 3-1 victory.
The Saints flew out of the gate with a 7-0 lead, and kept their foot on the gas throughout the first set, extending their lead to 21-11 on three straight kills. Manhattan responded with 5 of the next 6 points, but couldn't quite get over the hump and dropped the first set, 25-18, despite getting 5 kills from freshman outside hitter Fiona VanDyke.
VanDyke carried that momentum into the second set with two service aces which established a 3-0 lead for the Jaspers. Manhattan sustained their hot serving too, garnering a service ace from sophomore defensive specialist Anna Duncan in the middle of a 3-0 run to extend the lead to 8-4. Both teams exchanged points for the majority of the second set, and Manhattan emerged from the crucible of adversity with a 22-19 lead following a kill from sophomore middle blocker Abby Morreale. But the Saints rebounded quickly, winning 6 of the next 7 points to stun the Jaspers, 25-23, and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Salme Adeele Hollas notched 3 kills during Siena's late comeback in the second set to put Manhattan on the brink of defeat. She ended her day with 16 kills to lead the Saints' attack.
The Jaspers didn't want to go down without dealing a punch of their own.
Manhattan won the third set, 25-21, on the strength of 16 kills. The Jaspers used a two-prong attack with Mikalah Curran tallying 7 kills and Laila Glover supplying 3 more in the Jaspers' lone set win.
VanDyke registered a career-high 16 kills and matched her personal-best 11 kills despite the tough result for the Jaspers.
Next Time Out
Manhattan stays on the road and will meet Marist (0-14, 0-6 MAAC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at McCann Arena. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
