Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Over the past few years, the Manhattan College volleyball team has played some classic matches against rival Iona at Draddy Gymnasium. Saturday's contest was no exception. Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) slammed a career-high 26 kills and hit .434, as the Jaspers (13-7, 7-1 MAAC) maintained a share of first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with a 25-21, 27-29, 29-27, 14-25, 15-9 victory over the Gaels (6-12, 4-4 MAAC). It was Manhattan's sixth consecutive victory, including four in a row in five sets, and fourth straight five-set home win over Iona.
After dominating the fourth set, Iona jumped out to a 6-4 lead in the fifth. The Jaspers tied it at 7-7 on a kill by Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) before Catrina Warren slammed a kill to put the Gaels ahead 8-7 on the side switch. With Iona still leading 9-8, Ellie Wiekamp (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) smacked back-to-back kills to give Manhattan the lead, 10-9. Volovski then pounded three kills in the next four points, with an Iona error thrown in, to bring the Jaspers to match point. Volovski then connected with Wiekamp for a kill on match point, giving Manhattan the victory. Manhattan won the final seven points of the contest to capture the fifth set by a 15-9 margin.
“We consider ourselves a fifth-set team,” Volovski said. “We knew we had to pick it up (after losing the fourth). Our scouting really helped us. It's just about seeing the court and knowing where to hit.”
“In the fifth set, we played some amazing defense, and that was really the key,” Head Coach Mark Jones added. “We got great touches off the block and were able to put points away.”
The first set proved just how close the match was going to be. The sides traded the first eight points of the match before Manhattan used a 5-1 run to establish an 8-5 advantage. The Jaspers eventually extended their lead to 13-9, but Iona rallied to get back within two at 16-14. Manhattan responded with a 5-2 spurt, though, opening up a 21-16 cushion on a Wiekamp service ace. After the Gaels pulled within two once more at 22-20, kills by Volovski and Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) gave Manhattan a set point opportunity. The Jaspers captured the set 25-21 to take the early lead in the best-of-five match.
There were 22 ties and 13 lead changes in the second set, as neither team was able to gain an advantage of more than two points throughout the entire frame. After the Gaels went up 10-8, Manhattan scored three straight points to take an 11-10 lead. The back-and-forth play would continue, though, with Iona claiming the next two points to go back in front before the Jaspers responded with two points of their own.
With Iona leading 18-16, Manhattan went on a 4-1 spurt, regaining the lead, 20-19, on a Wiekamp kill. After the Gaels scored the next three points to make it 22-20 Iona, kills by Wiekamp and Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) forced another deadlock at 22-22. Manhattan reached set point first, as a pair of Wiekamp kills made the score 24-23, but Iona claimed the next two points to earn a set point of its own. Manhattan got a Volovski kill on each of Iona's first two set points before Iona finally converted on its fourth opportunity. The Gaels took the second set 29-27 to even the match.
Manhattan jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the second set before Iona rallied to go up 8-7. Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) tied it with a kill, starting a 12-4 Manhattan run. The Jaspers would eventually open up a 19-12 advantage, but the Gaels rallied for 10 of the next 13 points to even the score at 22-22. Libero Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) was credited with a kill to stop the run, then Kitlar and Volovski teamed up on a block to set up Manhattan's first set point chance. After Iona fought off those two opportunities, as well as two others, the Gaels earned their first set point at 27-26. A Peric kill brought the score level once more, and an Iona error on the following point gave the Jaspers another chance to close out the set. This time Manhattan converted, as a Behrens kill wrapped up a 29-27 set win.
Iona controlled the fourth set from the start, jumping out to an early 4-1 lead. The Gaels extended their advantage to 14-7 before Manhattan went on a 4-1 run to get back within four at 15-11. However, Iona hit .407 (12 kills, one error, 27 attempts) as a team in the set, closing out a 25-14 win to ensure the Jaspers would go the distance for the fourth straight match and the seventh time this season.
“Sydney was amazing today,” Jones said. “She was on a roll. Tea was doing a good job reversing direction and Syd just kept being aggressive. It was a total team effort, but individually, that's a great job by her.”
Volovski's 26 kills were the most by a Manhattan player since Sherryta Stokes also had 26 against Iona on Nov. 1, 2008.
Kitlar added 12 kills, while Wiekamp had a double-double with 11 kills and 23 digs. Peric recorded a double-double of her own, notching 48 assists and 16 digs. Yamashiro collected 32 digs and McGuinness registered 18 digs. Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) contributed 14 digs, as the Jaspers set a season-high with 117 total digs. It was Manhattan's first 100-dig effort since the team finished with 107 digs at Niagara on Nov. 4, 2012. The Jaspers hit .176 (69-32-210) as a team.
Warren, Taylor Cembalisty and Alicja Pawelec all had double-doubles for Iona. Warren, the MAAC leader in kills, finished with 19 kills and 22 digs, while Cembalisty tallied 13 kills and 15 digs. Pawelec, meanwhile, recorded 13 kills and 10 digs. McKenzie Humann added nine kills and seven blocks, as the Gaels outblocked the Jaspers 11-2. Natalie Ziskin dished out 53 assists to go along with eight digs and four blocks. Madisyn Spence registered a team-best 26 digs and Katy Crouse notched 10 of Iona's 98 total digs. As a team, the Gaels hit .190 (52-21-216) in the match.
Saturday's contest marked the beginning of a four-match homestand for the Jaspers. Manhattan takes a break from conference play on Wednesday, when NJIT (6-10) visits Draddy Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. matchup.