RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The volleyball teams at Manhattan College and Iona entered Saturday afternoon's match headed in different directions. The Lady Jaspers came into the contest looking to snap a four-match skid, while the Gaels came in the winners of three straight. Unfortunately for Manhattan (7-20, 3-12 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), both streaks continued, as the Gaels (10-15, 7-8 MAAC) posted a 25-15, 25-17, 26-24 victory at Draddy Gymnasium.
Iona quickly jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first set, prompting a Manhattan timeout. The Lady Jaspers pulled back within 10-8, but a 4-1 Iona run pushed the Gaels' lead back to five points at 14-9. After Manhattan scored three of the next four points to make it 15-11, Iona went on a 9-2 run to reach set point. The Lady Jaspers got a block from Maddie Heck (Corte Madera, Calif.) and Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif.), then a kill from Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) to stave off two set points before the Gaels finished off a 25-15 win. Iona hit a scorching .405 (19 kills, four errors, 37 attempts) in the first set.
After the sides traded the first six points of the second set, Iona used a 9-2 spurt to turn a 3-3 tie into a 12-5 advantage. Manhattan responded with a 5-1 spurt to get back within three at 13-10. Iona scored three of the next four points to bring its lead back to five at 16-11, but the Lady Jaspers again responded, going on a 5-2 run to pull within two at 18-16. That's as close as the Lady Jaspers would get, however, as Iona scored seven of the last eight points, including the final six, to wrap up a 25-17 set win.
In the third set, Iona went on an early 4-0 rally to break a 3-3 tie and open up a 7-3 lead. A block by Heck and Tidwell brought Manhattan back within one at 9-8 before three straight Iona points pushed the Gaels' lead back to four at 12-8. Manhattan again pulled within one at 13-12 and 16-15, but each time Iona responded. After Iona pushed its advantage to 21-16, the Lady Jaspers went on a 5-2 rally to make it 23-21. The Gaels reached match point on a kill by Sarah Wiener, but Manhattan fought off three straight match points against to force a 24-24 tie. Another Wiener kill gave Iona another match point at 25-24, and this time the Gaels finished it out, 26-24.
Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.) led the Lady Jaspers with 13 kills on .355 hitting, while Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) added eight kills. Strutner had a team-high 13 digs to go along with six kills, and Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Jayne Timo (Holbrook, N.Y.) each recorded nine digs. Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) distributed 28 assists. The Lady Jaspers hit .100 (30-18-120) as a team.
Wiener finished with 16 kills on .368 hitting to lead the Gaels. She also tallied five service aces and five digs. Molly O'Shea hit .556 in the match, pounding 11 kills and committing just one error. Allison Nieters registered a match-high 17 digs, and Nicole Tamburri posted a double-double with 37 assists and 10 digs. Colleen Genett notched six blocks for Iona. The Gaels had 48 kills compared to Manhattan's 30 and outdug the Lady Jaspers 62-47. Iona also held a 7-2 advantage in aces. As a team, Iona hit .254 (48-18-118) in the match.
Saturday's contest concluded Manhattan's season-long five-match homestand. On Sunday, the Lady Jaspers head to Baltimore for a 2 p.m. matchup with Loyola (12-17, 7-7 MAAC). Manhattan posted a thrilling five-set victory when the teams met at Draddy Gymnasium on Oct. 4.
Due to technical difficulties, the live webcast of the match was not available. The Manhattan College Athletic Department apologizes for the inconvenience.