RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Lately, the Manhattan College volleyball team has found itself coming up just a little bit short. That was the case again on Saturday, as visiting Marist (15-9, 9-4 MAAC) won a few more of the big points in a 25-21, 25-23, 25-20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) victory over the Lady Jaspers (7-18, 3-10 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
After Marist jumped out to early leads of 4-1 and 7-3, a 6-0 Manhattan run gave the Lady Jaspers a 9-7 advantage. The Red Foxes responded with a 5-0 run of their own to go back in front, 12-9. Marist extended its lead to 19-14 before a Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.) block sparked a 4-0 Manhattan run that brought the Lady Jaspers back within one at 19-18. Following a Marist timeout, the Red Foxes rallied for five of the next six points to arrive at set point. The Red Foxes took the early lead in the match with a 25-21 set win. When the teams met in Poughkeepsie on Oct. 9, Marist hit an outstanding .708 (18 kills, one error, 24 attempts) in the first set. On Saturday, the Lady Jaspers held the Red Foxes to .179 (10-5-28) hitting in the opening set. Manhattan hit .125 (13-9-32) in the frame.
The Lady Jaspers raced out to a 6-1 lead early in the second set before Marist fought back to force an 11-11 deadlock. Manhattan went back in front on a kill by Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) and extended its advantage to 15-13 on a Welsh kill. However, Marist again fought back, tying the score at 18-18. After a Strutner kill made it 20-19 in favor of the Lady Jaspers, a 4-0 Marist run gave the Red Foxes a 23-20 edge. The Lady Jaspers scored the next two points to trim Marist's lead to one, 23-22, but a Lindsey Schmid kill gave the Red Foxes their first set point. The sides traded service errors to end the set, and Marist went into the locker room leading 2-0 after its 25-23 set win.
The third set was tight early on before Marist used a 9-2 run to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 12-8 advantage. After Manhattan pulled within two at 15-13, the Red Foxes went on a 7-3 run to bring their lead back to six points, 22-16. The Lady Jaspers pushed back within four when a block by Maddie Heck (Corte Madera, Calif.) and Laura Bellotti (Dix Hills, N.Y.) made it 23-19, but Marist finished off a straight sets with a 25-20 third set win.
Strutner and Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) led the Lady Jaspers with 12 kills apiece. Strutner added 12 digs to complete a double-double. Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) tallied a match-high 19 digs, as the Lady Jaspers outdug the Red Foxes 50-46. Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) dished out 17 assists and Bellotti distributed 12 assists. As a team, Manhattan hit .150 (35-19-107) in the match.
Alexandra Schultze posted 12 kills on .455 hitting, four blocks, three service aces and eight digs for Marist. Katie Estes added 11 kills, while Emily Brosky tallied a team-high 13 digs. Dawn Jan just missed a double-double, recording 35 assists and nine digs. Schmid registered four blocks and two aces for the Red Foxes. Marist hit .231 (43-16-117) as a team.
The Lady Jaspers continue their five-match homestand on Sunday, when first-place Fairfield (14-10, 11-1 MAAC) visits Draddy Gymnasium at 2 p.m. The Stags swept Manhattan 3-0 on Oct. 2 and have won 10 straight against the Lady Jaspers. A live webcast of the match will be available via JasperVision at www.gojaspers.com.
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