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BUFFALO, N.Y. - On Saturday afternoon, the Manhattan College volleyball team paid a visit to Canisius for the Griffs' "Dig Pink" match for breast cancer awareness. After a tight first set, the Griffs (12-12, 8-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) used an impressive .311 (54 kills, 12 errors, 135 attempts) team hitting performance to post a 28-26, 25-15, 20-25, 25-20 victory over the Lady Jaspers (11-12, 5-6 MAAC) at the Koessler Athletic Center.
In a tight first set that saw 12 ties and four lead changes, the Griffs built the first significant advantage when they used a 3-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. Manhattan rallied for six of the next eight points to go in front 11-10 before a 7-2 Canisius spurt gave the Griffs a 17-13 edge. The Lady Jaspers once again responded, winning five of the next seven points to pull within one, 19-18. Canisius reached set point at 24-22, but Manhattan fought off two opportunities before earning a set point of its own when Alexa Lampasona's (Remensburg, N.Y.) block made the score 25-24. The Griffs won the next point on a kill by Renee Lettow before Manhattan earned another set point on a kill by Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.). However, Canisius claimed the final three points of the set to claim a 28-26 victory. The Griffs hit .359 (19-5-39) and the Lady Jaspers hit .293 (18-6-41) in the first set.
After the Lady Jaspers jumped out to a 10-8 lead in the second set, Canisius used an 8-1 run to take a 16-11 advantage. Manhattan won the next two points to get back within three at 16-13, but another 8-1 Canisius run brought the Griffs to set point at 24-14. Manhattan fought off one set point on a block by Lampasona and Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) before Canisius closed out the set, 25-15. The Griffs made just one attack error and hit .444 (13 kills, 27 attempts) in the set.
The third set featured eight early ties before Manhattan used a 5-2 run to turn a 10-10 deadlock into a 15-12 advantage. The Lady Jaspers increased their lead to five when a service ace by Nikki Chamberlin (San Diego, Calif.) made it 21-16, but Canisius won the next three points to get back within two, 21-19. Manhattan responded with a 3-0 rally of its own, reaching set point on a LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah) ace, and a kill by Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) finished off a 25-20 win that extended the match into the fourth. Manhattan hit .300 (15-6-30) in the third set.
The Lady Jaspers built an early 3-0 advantage in the fourth set, but Canisius rallied back to take a 10-8 lead. Manhattan claimed the next three points to go back in front, 11-10, before a 9-4 Canisius run gave the Griffs a 19-14 lead. The Lady Jaspers responded with a 4-0 spurt and got back within one when a Havens kill made the score 19-18, prompting a Canisius timeout. The Griffs won four of the next five points out of the timeout to move within two points of clinching the match, and Canisius won the set, 25-20, to capture a 3-1 victory.
Havens returned to the lineup after missing seven matches with an injury and tied a match-high with 15 kills on .385 hitting. She also had three aces. Strutner posted a double-double with 15 kills and 15 digs, while Rahey added 11 kills. Collareta dished out 46 assists to go along with six digs. Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) recorded a team-high 16 digs and Chamberlin tallied nine digs, as Manhattan outdug Canisius 56-52. Aurore Kullak (Beloeil, Belgium) notched three digs, including the 1,000th of her collegiate career. Overall, the Lady Jaspers hit .161 (54-31-143).
Samantha Good led the Griffs with 15 kills on .481 hitting. Layne Adams added 13 kills and hit .478. She also recorded five blocks, as Canisius outblocked Manhattan 10-5. Lettow tallied nine kills on .348 hitting, while Janelle Davis distributed 37 assists and hit .625. Allyson Severyn posted a match-high 18 digs.
The Lady Jaspers continue their Buffalo swing on Sunday, when they visit defending MAAC champion Niagara (16-8, 11-1 MAAC) at 2 p.m. The Purple Eagles, who notched a 3-0 victory over Saint Peter's on Saturday, defeated Manhattan in three sets when the teams met in Riverdale on Oct. 2.
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