Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. ? The Manhattan College volleyball team entered Saturday's match looking to break the “Buffalo curse.” The Lady Jaspers hadn't won in Buffalo since 2002 and had lost five straight to Canisius. For a while, it looked as if Manhattan might be able to break the curse, but, after winning the first set, the Lady Jaspers (4-12, 3-4 MAAC) dropped a 23-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17 decision to the Golden Griffins (10-6, 5-2 MAAC) at the Koessler Athletic Center.
After the Lady Jaspers built a 9-7 first set lead, the Griffs countered with a 4-0 rally to go up 11-9. Manhattan reclaimed the lead, 12-11, then Canisius used a 3-0 run to turn a 14-14 tie into a 17-14 advantage. With the Griffs leading 18-16, the Lady Jaspers went on a 7-1 run to take control of the set, 23-19. Manhattan reached set point when a block by Andrea Reiff (Hawthorne, N.Y.) and Jackie Kapovich (Downers Grove, Ill.) made it 24-21, and the Lady Jaspers needed three opportunities before a kill by Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.) finished off the set, 25-23.
The Lady Jaspers carried their momentum into the start of the second set, quickly building a 3-1 advantage. Canisius responded with a 6-1 run to take a 5-3 lead, but Manhattan came right back to force a 7-7 tie. With the score knotted at 11-11, the Griffs went on a 4-0 spurt to create a 15-11 cushion. Manhattan tried to chip away, but the Griffs maintained their lead for the remainder of the set. After the Lady Jaspers cut their deficit to 21-20, Canisius scored the last four points of the set to claim a 25-20 win and even the match.
The third set began in a back-and-forth fashion, as there were six ties in the first 18 points of the set. With the set even at 9-9, Canisius used a 4-1 rally to build a little distance. However, Manhattan rallied right back to even up the set once again at 13-13. A kill by Sarah Podlesh put the Griffs back in front, and they wouldn't trail again for the rest of the set. Canisius slowly increased its lead the rest of the way and notched a 25-21 set win. The Griffs hit .400 (15 kills, three errors, 30 attacks) in the set, while the Lady Jaspers hit just .184 (14-7-38).
Manhattan opened up a 4-1 lead in the fourth set, but the Griffs countered and tied the score at 6-6. With the set knotted at 10-10, Canisius went on a 10-1 run to open up a 20-11 advantage. The Lady Jaspers won the next point before the Griffs countered with a 4-2 rally to set up match point at 24-15. The Lady Jaspers fought off three match points on a kill by Sherryta Stokes (Beltsville, Md.) and consecutive blocks before Canisius closed out the set, 25-17, and a 3-1 match victory.
Stokes led Manhattan with 15 kills on .387 hitting. Welsh tallied 12 kills, hit .440 and registered five blocks. Alyssa Getzel (Richmond, Va.) notched a double-double with 29 assists and 11 digs. Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) had a team-high 16 digs, as the lady Jaspers out-dug the Griffs 55-50. As a team, Manhattan hit .184 (48-22-141) for the match.
Morgan Ammons had a double-double for Canisius with 15 kills and a match-high 17 digs. Layne Adams added 10 kills for the Griffs, while Michelle Godfrey and Brittany Gerde each had eight. Janelle Davis hit .571 and distributed a match-high 38 assists. Canisius hit .231 (54-21-143) as a team in the match.
Manhattan concludes its Buffalo trip on Sunday with a 1 p.m. showdown at Niagara (3-15, 1-6 MAAC). The Purple Eagles have lost four straight, including a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Iona on Sunday.