Click here to view the 2011 Manhattan Volleyball Yearbook
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Twice down match point in the fifth set, the Manhattan College volleyball team (10-6, 4-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) battled back to post a 23-25, 25-22, 25-15, 20-25, 17-15 victory over Canisius (6-10, 1-4 MAAC) at the Koessler Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon. The victory snapped the Jaspers' four-match losing streak against Canisius, and was their first win over the Griffs in Buffalo since 2002. It also marked Manhattan's 10th straight five-set victory dating back to last season.
Canisius had its first match point at 14-13 before a LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah) block knotted the score. After a kill by the Griffs' Samantha Good, Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) pounded a kill to even things up again, 15-15. The Jaspers finally got a match point of their own at 16-15, and McGuinness made sure that one opportunity was enough, slamming her 24th kill of the match to wrap up the set, 17-15, and give Manhattan the victory.
The fifth set, which featured 10 ties and five lead changes, was a microcosm of the entire match. The first set saw 11 ties and four lead changes before Canisius ultimately triumphed, 25-23. After Manhattan built a 4-2 advantage, the Griffs went on a 6-1 run to go in front 8-5. The Jaspers rallied to take a 17-14 lead, but Canisius responded with nine of the next 13 points to pull within two points of winning the set. A kill by Hollegn Henderson (Long Beach, Calif.) made it a one-point margin at 23-22 before a Layne Adams kill brought the Griffs to set point. McGuinness slammed a kill to fight off one set point, but the Griffs converted their next opportunity to take the set, 25-23. Canisius hit an impressive .364 (16 kills, four errors, 33 attempts) in the opening set.
In the second set, Manhattan jumped out to an early 7-4 advantage before Canisius battled back to take a 12-10 lead. With the Griffs leading 17-15, Mariana Furquim (Curitiba, Brazil) posted a kill to start a 3-0 Manhattan rally that put the Jaspers back in front, 19-18. Canisius scored the next two points to regain a 20-19 advantage, but the Jaspers again responded with three straight to make it 22-20. After Canisius tied the score at 22-22, a kill by Kelsey Huntoon (Monroe, Mich.), then back-to-back points by McGuinness gave Manhattan the set, 25-22, evening the match. Both offenses performed well in the second set, as Manhattan hit .421 (18-2-33) and Canisius hit .324 (17-5-37).
The third set was the only one that didn't see the lead change hands. After the teams traded points early on, Manhattan used a 6-1 run to turn a 6-6 deadlock into a 12-7 advantage. Canisius cut its deficit to four at 14-10, but the Jaspers immediately responded with an 8-3 rally to make it 22-13. A block by Havens and Furquim brought Manhattan to set point, then Havens teamed with Henderson for a block to wrap up the set, 25-15, and give the Jaspers a 2-1 lead in the match. The Manhattan offense was solid again in the third set, as the Jaspers hit .312 (15-5-32).
Just as Manhattan used an early rally to seize control of the third set, Canisius took control of the fourth set with an early run. After the Jaspers jumped out to a 3-1 lead, the Griffs claimed the next seven points to go up 8-3. Canisius eventually extended its lead to 11-5, but Manhattan gradually chipped away, and a McGuinness kill brought the Jaspers within two at 15-13. However, that's as close as the Jaspers would get, as the Griffs responded with a 7-2 spurt to push their advantage back to seven points, 22-15. Manhattan made it close again, trimming its deficit to 24-20, before a Danielle Brawn kill gave Canisius a 25-20 set win that forced a decisive fifth set. Canisius hit .393 (15-4-28) in the fourth set.
Canisius opened the fifth set by taking the first two points, but the Jaspers responded with the next four to go ahead 4-2. It was then the Griffs' turn to rally, as Canisius used a 7-3 run to take a 9-7 advantage. The back-and-forth pace continued, though, as the Jaspers claimed five of the next seven points to regain the lead, 12-11. Canisius earned the first match point at 14-13 and another at 15-14 before the Jaspers secured the final three points to snap their six-match losing streak at the Koessler Athletic Center.
McGuinness slammed a match-high 24 kills on .396 hitting. She added 14 digs to complete a double-double. Furquim notched 15 kills, while Havens had 11 kills and nine blocks. Alexa Lampasona (Remsenburg, N.Y.) hit .348 in the victory, posting 10 kills and five blocks. Henderson handed out 54 assists to go along with five kills and five digs. Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) recorded a match-high 19 digs and Huntoon contributed 10 digs, as the Jaspers outdug the Griffs 71-60. Overall, Manhattan hit .296 (69-22-159) as a team.
Brawn led Canisius with 19 kills, while Good added 15 kills and five blocks. Adams finished with nine kills on .421 hitting, and Janelle Davis had a double-double with 51 assists and 10 digs. She also hit .636, slamming seven kills without an error in 11 swings. Allyson Severyn contributed 17 digs and Joanna Burt notched 16 digs for the Griffs. As a team, Canisius hit .239 (66-24-176) in the match.
The Jaspers, who are undefeated at home this year, return to Draddy Gymnasium for a non-conference tilt with St. Francis (NY) (1-19) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
To follow Manhattan Athletics on Twitter, go to twitter.com/GoJaspers or visit Manhattan's Facebook fan page.