Box Score
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – For the first time since 2003, the Manhattan College volleyball team is headed to a four-team Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament. The Jaspers (20-12, 13-5 MAAC) secured their place by taking the third set of their match at Iona (16-13, 13-5 MAAC) on Saturday night. The Gaels also clinched a spot by claiming a 25-20, 25-12, 27-29, 25-21 victory at the Hynes Athletic Center.
After Iona won the first two sets, tension was high entering the third. The Jaspers knew that they had to win the frame in order to clinch the tiebreaker over Siena and secure a place in the playoffs. Otherwise, Manhattan would've needed some help in the form of a Fairfield, Marist or Siena loss on Sunday to get in. Fortunately, the Jaspers didn't have to worry about that, as they rallied to take the set.
Iona jumped out to a 5-3 lead before Manhattan went on a 7-1 run to go ahead 10-6. After the Gaels rallied to take a 16-14 advantage, the Jaspers fought back to force a 20-20 tie. With the score knotted at 23-23, McKenzie Humann recorded a block that brought Iona to match point and Manhattan one point away from having its fate in somebody else's hands. The Jaspers fought off that match point, then another at 25-24. Manhattan had a set point of its own at 26-25, but failed to convert. The Jaspers fought off another match point when a kill by Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) evened the set at 27-27. Ellie Wiekamp (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) once again got the Jaspers to the brink of the postseason when their block made it 28-27, and Manhattan captured the next point, as well, to punch its postseason ticket.
Now leading the match 2-1, the Gaels built an early advantage again in the fourth. Iona raced out to a 5-2 lead before the Jaspers countered with a 9-4 run to make it 11-9 in their favor. The Gaels claimed nine of the next 11 points, though, to make it 18-13. Manhattan climbed back within two at 21-19 on a Kitlar kill, but wouldn't pull any closer. Iona captured the set by a 25-21 count to take the match, 3-1, and clinch a playoff berth of its own.
Both teams entered the match with plenty at stake, as a Manhattan win would've likely eliminated Iona. The Gaels wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen, quickly opening up a 5-1 lead in the opening set. After Manhattan scored four straight points to tie it, Iona captured four of the next five to go back in front, 9-6. The Jaspers rallied to tie the score once more at 16-16, but Iona responded with three points in a row to regain a 19-16 advantage. Iona reached set point at 24-19 and notched a 25-20 win to draw first blood.
The Gaels then dominated the second set. Iona scored the first five points of the frame and never looked back, hitting an outstanding .424 (16 kills, two errors, 33 attempts) in the set. Manhattan pulled within four points at 10-6, but Iona ended the set on a 15-6 spurt, cruising to a 25-12 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Wiekamp had a double-double for Manhattan, notching 15 kills and 21 digs. Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) also recorded a double-double with 39 assists and 14 digs. Behrens and Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) tallied nine kills apiece, while Kitlar finished with eight kills, six digs and three blocks. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) notched 19 digs, Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) contributed 13 digs and Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) registered 10 digs for the Jaspers. As a team, Manhattan hit .139 (51 kills, 24 errors, 194 attempts) in the match.
For Iona, Catrina Warren led the way with 25 kills on .365 hitting. She added 23 digs to complete a double-double. Taylor Cembalisty also had a double-double, notching 13 kills and 18 digs, while Natalie Ziskin finished with 51 assists and 12 digs. Madisyn Spence tied a match-high with 23 digs and Alicja Pawelec collected 11 digs, as the Gaels outdug the Jaspers 96-89. Iona also outblocked Manhattan 13-6, with Shannon Ward posting seven blocks. The Gaels hit .240 (63-19-183) as a team.
Manhattan must now wait to find out its seed and opponent for the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament, which take place next Saturday at Siena's AlumniRecreationCenter. If Fairfield wins its match at Canisius on Sunday afternoon, the Jaspers will be the No. 4 seed and face the top-seeded Stags. Manhattan is guaranteed to face either Fairfield or Marist.