RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Everything started out right for the Manhattan College volleyball team on Saturday afternoon. Then, the Lady Jaspers' fortunes changed. After Manhattan (5-8, 1-2 MAAC) won the first set, Niagara (9-5, 2-1 MAAC) hit .355 (47 kills, nine errors, 107 attempts) over the final three sets en route to a 23-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-11 victory over the Lady Jaspers in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action at Draddy Gymnasium.
Niagara jumped out to an early lead in the first set, but a Purple Eagles red card resulted in a point penalty that pulled Manhattan even at 5-5. The red card seemed to spark the Lady Jaspers, as Manhattan rallied to build an 11-8 cushion and force a Niagara timeout. After the Purple Eagles tied the score at 15-15, the Lady Jaspers scored the next three points, including back-to-back kills by Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.), to regain an 18-15 advantage. Manhattan held the lead for the remainder of the set, and reached set point on a service ace by Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.). The Lady Jaspers claimed the opening set by a 25-23 count.
Manhattan took a quick timeout after Niagara scored the first four points of the second set, and the Lady Jaspers claimed the next two points to cut their deficit to 4-2. However, the Purple Eagles responded with an 8-0 run and scored 15 of the next 18 points overall, taking a 19-5 advantage on a Lisa Bilich ace. Niagara hit a scorching .447 (19-2-38) in a 25-12 second-set win that evened the match at 1-1.
The Lady Jaspers scored the first point of the third set for their only lead after the first set. Niagara claimed the next two points to pull in front, but Manhattan fought back to tie the score at 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4. With the set knotted at 4-4, a 3-0 Niagara run, capped by a Lisa Bilich ace, sparked an 8-4 rally that gave the Purple Eagles a 16-8 advantage. Manhattan got back within 19-14 before Niagara ended the set on a 6-1 run to claim a 25-15 win.
After the sides traded the first eight points of the fourth set, Niagara again used a 3-0 run to turn a 4-4 tie into a 7-4 lead. A Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) ace brought Manhattan within two at 9-7, but the Purple Eagles scored the next seven points and 12 of the next 13 to increase their lead to 21-8. Niagara hit .342 (16-3-38) in the fourth set and claimed the match with a 25-11 set victory. The loss snapped Manhattan's three-match winning streak against Niagara.
Rahey and Welsh had nine kills apiece to lead the Lady Jaspers. Welsh also posted a match-high four blocks. Aurore Kullak (Beloeil, Belgium) tallied 17 digs, and Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) notched 13 digs to go along with four assists and two aces. Collareta dished out 15 assists, while Laura Bellotti (Dix Hills, N.Y.) handed out 13 assists. Manhattan hit .097 (37-22-154) as a team.
Kathy Bibler, Hannah Hedrick and Kari Honomichl combined for 50 of Niagara's 62 kills. Bibler had 20 kills on .552 hitting, while Hedrick tallied 17 kills, 17 digs and four aces. Honomichl added 13 kills for the Purple Eagles. Sam Morgan contributed a match-high 18 digs, as the Purple Eagles outdug the Lady Jaspers 74-67. Michelle James, the MAAC leader in assists, distributed 50 helpers and completed a double-double with 15 digs. Overall, Niagara hit .286 (62-16-161) in the match.
The Lady Jaspers, who have now lost four out of five, are back in action at 1 p.m. on Sunday when they take on Canisius (4-8, 1-1 MAAC) to conclude a span where four out of five matches were at home. Canisius played at Saint Peter's on Saturday. Following Sunday's match, which will be webcast live on JasperVision at www.gojaspers.com, Manhattan is on the road for seven of its next eight contests.