RIVERDALE, NY — Manhattan hung tough at moments in the first set before the momentum swung in Rider's favor and the Broncs soared to a 3-0 win on Saturday afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium. Rider amassed 25 block assists in the victory, and won the final two sets by a combined margin of 26 points.
Manhattan was boosted by four kills from sophomore outside hitter Katie Powers in set one. Her first two kills were set up by junior setter Sarah Emmons, cutting the Manhattan deficit to 8-4 after a slow start for the Jaspers. The home team continued to chip away at the Broncs' lead and were able to close to within two at 13-11, following an attack error by Rylah Robinson. Moments later, the Jaspers launched a 5-0 run and were able to hijack 16-14 lead on the strength of kills from Powers, Emmons and sophomore middle blocker Chloe Anderson. However, Rider would respond with three in a row and 11 of the next 16 points to win the set one, 25-21.
After a solid start to set two which saw Powers, Emmons and Anderson each notch another kill, the Broncs turned a three-point lead into an eight-point cushion following an attack error from Bertens. After Manhattan whittled it back to four with the help of three straight skills—two from Laila Glover and one from Maike Bertens—Rider enacted their revenge again, securing 11 of the next 13 points to punctuate a 25-12 win in set two.
After establishing another large lead in set three, Rider put the game away with five kills from five different sources to clinch another 25-12 win in set three.
Rider received 28 kills combined from Robinson (8), Kiannisha Santiago (8), Anja Kelly (7) and Paige Giehtbrock (5). For Manhattan, Power concluded her performance with seven kills while Anderson and Glover each record six. Emmons notched 22 assists, while senior libero Sophia Lotto notched nine digs to lead the Jaspers on defense.
Next Time Out
Manhattan will look to have a short memory of today's match when it hosts Saint Peter's (5-16, 3-11 MAAC) at 1 PM tomorrow. Manhattan Women's Volleyball will have its Morgan's Message Game to help fight the societal stigma associated with mental health.
Follow Manhattan Women's Volleyball on Instagram and X, @jaspersvb.
