Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – With the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) standings getting jumbled at the top, the Manhattan College volleyball team made sure its position in first place was secure on Saturday afternoon. The Jaspers (17-10, 10-3 MAAC) hit an excellent .305 (43 kills, 11 errors, 105 attempts) as a team en route to a 25-20, 25-13, 25-18 victory over Canisius (10-15, 8-6 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium. It was Manhattan's first win over Canisius in Riverdale since 2008, and the Jaspers swept the season series with the Griffs for the first time in program history.
“This win was really important,” Head Coach Mark Jones said. “What you do at the end of the season is going to determine who makes the (MAAC) tournament, and we really responded well today. I don't have to tell these players what's at stake. They know. And they came ready to play.”
Canisius got off to a great start, opening up a 5-1 lead to start the first set. However, with the Griffs leading 7-2, Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) slammed a kill to start a 16-6 Manhattan rally that gave the Jaspers an 18-13 advantage. After a McGuinness service ace made it 20-14, Canisius scored the next four points to pull back within two, 20-18. The Jaspers again responded, though, as Ellie Wiekamp (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) pounded a kill to ignite a 4-0 spurt that brought Manhattan to set point. The Griffs fought off two set point opportunities before Wiekamp smashed a kill to finish off a 25-20 win for the Jaspers.
In the second set, Canisius again took the early lead on back-to-back aces by Sydney Palka. Manhattan responded by scoring six of the next eight points to go up 6-4. After the Griffs got back within 7-6, a kill by Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) started a 9-1 rally that increased the Jaspers' advantage to 16-7. Manhattan then went on another run, this one 5-0, to make it a 12-point margin, 22-10. A McGuinness kill brought the Jaspers to set point at 24-12, and she slammed another to cap the 25-13 victory that gave Manhattan a 2-0 lead in the match. As a team, the Jaspers hit .423 (13-2-26), while the Canisius offense hit -.030 (9-10-33).
The Griffs once again jumped out to a comfortable early lead in the third set, scoring the first four points of the stanza. Manhattan once again rallied back, though, getting a kill from Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) that started an 11-3 spurt, which gave the Jaspers an 11-7 advantage. Manhattan extended the margin to six points at 17-11, then a Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) ace made it 20-13. A Wiekamp kill set up Manhattan's first match point opportunity at 24-16, and the Jaspers closed out the 3-0 sweep on a kill by Volovski. Manhattan took the third set by a 25-18 count.
“We were just on today,” Jones said. “Our offense was great, we definitely passed a lot better, our defense was more consistent, and we served aggressively.”
Both of Manhattan's starting outside hitters were outstanding. McGuinness had 13 kills and committed just one error in 24 attempts, hitting an even .500. She added a team-high 14 digs to complete a double-double, as well as two aces and two blocks. Wiekamp, meanwhile, finished with nine kills and eight digs. Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) also tallied nine kills, while Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) contributed 33 assists and nine digs. Haslehorst registered seven digs and two aces, and Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) collected 12 digs, as the Jaspers outdug the Griffs 55-46.
Lauren Siebert hit .538 for Canisius, slamming seven kills without an error in 13 swings. Emily Elek added six kills. Palka had three aces to go along with a team-best 14 assists, while Grace Streicher handed out 11 assists. Emily Litwin recorded a match-high 19 digs and Katlyn Tyler finished with 10 digs. As a team, Canisius hit .073 (28-20-110) in the match.
The Jaspers wrap up their home schedule with a matchup against Niagara (3-21, 2-11 MAAC), which beat Iona in five sets on Saturday, at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Seniors Katelyn Nugent (Auburn, Wash.), Behrens and Wiekamp will be honored prior to the match.