Manhattan University Athletics

Box Score

2012 Manhattan Volleyball Yearbook 

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - Entering this season, the Manhattan College volleyball team had lost six straight matches to three-time defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champion Niagara.  That streak came to an end with the Jaspers' 3-1 victory over the Purple Eagles at Draddy Gymnasium on Sept. 29.  On Sunday afternoon, Manhattan (14-15, 9-8 MAAC) beat Niagara (15-11, 12-4 MAAC) again, completing its first season sweep of the Purple Eagles since 2008 with a 25-22, 17-25, 25-15, 14-25, 19-17 triumph at the Gallagher Center.

Jamie Collareta (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) served an ace on the opening point of the match, and Manhattan quickly jumped out to a 7-2 lead.  Niagara rallied to tie it 8-8 before a pair of kills from Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) and a Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) ace put the Jaspers back in front, 11-8.  Manhattan extended its cushion to 18-13 on an Alexa Lampasona (Remsenburg, N.Y.) kill, but the Purple Eagles again came back, knotting the score at 21-21.  After the Jaspers regained the lead on a kill by Maddie Heck (Corte Madera, Calif.), Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) pounded back-to-back kills to give Manhattan a set point, and Mariana Furquim (Curitiba, Brazil) finished off the frame, 25-22, with a kill of her own.

After Niagara built an early 7-2 advantage in the second set, Manhattan claimed the next three points, pulling within two on a Behrens block.  However, the Purple Eagles responded with a 10-4 spurt to increase their advantage to eight points at 17-9.  The Jaspers went on another 3-0 rally to get within five, 17-12, but Niagara countered with five of the next six points to make it 22-13.  Manhattan again trimmed the margin to five at 22-17 before the Purple Eagles claimed the final three points to take the set, 25-17.

There were five ties early in the third set before Manhattan went on a 7-1 run to turn a 5-4 deficit into an 11-6 advantage.  The Jaspers took control of the set from their, extending their lead to seven points at 17-10 on a kill by Lampasona.  Furquim slammed a pair of kills to end the set, 25-15, and give the Jaspers a 2-1 lead in the match.

Niagara opened the fourth set by scoring 13 of the first 17 points.  After the Jaspers cut their deficit to 17-9, the Purple Eagles went on a 5-0 rally to open up a 22-9 advantage.  Manhattan scored the next four points to make it 22-13, but Niagara took the set by a 25-14 margin to set up a decisive fifth frame.  The Purple Eagles committed just one attack error in the set, hitting .405 (16 kills, 37 attempts) as a team.

The fifth set featured eight ties.  Manhattan built the first significant lead of the final set, going up 6-3, before Niagara quickly countered to even the score at 7-7.  The Jaspers responded with a 4-1 run to regain an 11-8 advantage, but the Purple Eagles again battled back.  With Manhattan leading 13-11, Niagara went on a 3-0 rally to reach match point.  After Behrens pounded a kill to knot it at 14-14, the Purple Eagles earned a second match point opportunity on a kill by Amanda Sedore.  Manhattan evened the score on a Lampasona kill, then won the next point to go up 16-15.

Niagara responded with a block by Kari Honomichl and Amanda Wilken, but Manhattan reached match point again on a Furquim kill.  After the Purple Eagles won the next point to tie the score once more, Furquim slammed her 24^th kill of the match to give the Jaspers an 18-17 advantage.  Finally, on Manhattan's third match point, Volovski pounded a kill to wrap up the 19-17 set win and seal the 3-2 victory that snapped Manhattan's five-match losing streak.  The Jaspers are also guaranteed to finish at least .500 in MAAC play for the third straight year and the fourth time in five seasons.

Furquim led the Jaspers with 24 kills and 26 digs, which were both season-highs.  Volovski also had a double-double with 14 kills and 16 digs, while Collareta handed out 56 assists to go along with 23 digs.  Behrens tallied 14 kills and four blocks, and Lampasona contributed 10 kills and three blocks.  Kelsey Huntoon (Monroe, Mich.) registered 24 digs, as Manhattan outdug Niagara 107-106.  As a team, the Jaspers hit .188 (64-25-207) in the victory.

Honomichl had 21 kills, 27 digs and three blocks for Niagara.  Michelle James also registered a double-double, pacing the Purple Eagles with 59 assists and 29 digs.  Sedore contributed 15 kills, while Wilken posted 13 kills and five blocks.  Allison Reis tallied 27 digs and Logan Rae posted five aces for Niagara.  The Purple Eagles hit .227 (67-19-211) as a team.