Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – For the Manhattan College volleyball team, Senior Day at Draddy Gymnasium went about as well as anybody could've hoped. The Jaspers' three seniors—Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii), Katelyn Nugent (Auburn, Wash.) and Ellie Wiekamp (Laguna Niguel, Calif.)—combined for 25 kills and a .413 hitting percentage, as Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)-leading Manhattan (18-10, 11-3 MAAC) routed Niagara (3-22, 2-12 MAAC) 25-16, 25-17, 25-17 on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, the Jaspers tied the program record for conference wins with four matches remaining.
“The team was really focused and definitely wanted the seniors to go out on a good note,” Head Coach Mark Jones said. “The seniors have worked so hard, and all three of them had great matches today.”
The win, Manhattan's fourth 3-0 victory in its last five matches, also marked a milestone for Jones, who evened his career record at 77-77.
Manhattan immediately took control of the first set. Nugent, who got the start in her final home match, slammed kills on back-to-back points, as the Jaspers raced out to a 6-2 advantage. Niagara scored three of the next four points to pull within 7-5 before Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) smashed a kill to start a 13-3 Manhattan rally. After an Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) block put Manhattan ahead 20-8, the Purple Eagles slowly chipped away at the lead. However, the margin was too much to overcome. A Behrens kill got the Jaspers to set point, and a kill by Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) capped the 25-16 Manhattan win. The Manhattan offense recorded 17 kills in the first set, and the Jaspers hit .351 (four errors, 37 attempts) as a team in the frame.
Niagara won the first point of the second set for its only lead of the match. That lead would be short-lived, however, as the Jaspers scored the next three points and eventually opened up an 11-3 advantage on a Behrens kill. After the Purple Eagles trimmed their deficit to five at 11-6, Manhattan rallied for four of the next five points to make it 15-7. A kill by Wiekamp brought the Jaspers to set point at 24-16, and Behrens finished off the 25-17 set win with a kill.
It was more of the same in the third set. Manhattan used a 9-3 spurt to turn a 2-2 tie into an 11-5 advantage before Niagara rallied back within 14-10. However, Kitlar responded with a kill to spark an 8-2 run that increased the Jaspers' cushion to 10 points, 22-12.
Fittingly, the seniors closed it out. A Nugent kill set up match point, and Wiekamp slammed a kill on the next point to wrap up the set, 25-17, and the match, 3-0. The Jaspers continued their solid hitting in the third set. Manhattan hit .400 as a team, smashing 19 kills and committing just five errors in 35 attempts.
“It shows all the work we're putting in everyday in practice and all the extra stuff we're doing,” Jones said. “I'm very proud of the team. I think they were really focused this weekend.”
Wiekamp had a double-double for Manhattan, notching a match-high 15 kills on .429 hitting and adding 10 digs. Behrens finished with seven kills on .357 hitting and also tallied three blocks, while Nugent set a career-high with three kills. McGuinness also recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs, and Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) contributed 10 digs of her own, as Manhattan outdug Niagara 54-37. Volovski, meanwhile, hit .474 and pounded 10 kills. Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) finished one dig shy of a double-double, posting nine digs to go along with 45 assists. As a team, Manhattan hit a stellar .339 (52-15-109) in the victory.
Amanda Sedore led the Purple Eagles with 11 kills, and she added nine digs. Allison Reis and Tara Topolski each notched 12 digs, while Melissa McGwin registered five blocks. Logan Rae handed out 20 assists for Niagara, which hit .130 (26-13-100) as a team.
The Jaspers are tied for first place with Fairfield, and will meet the Stags in Connecticut on Saturday. But first, Manhattan begins its season-ending four-match road trip with a visit to Rider (14-11, 5-9 MAAC) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The Broncs handed the Jaspers one of their three conference losses this season, 3-2 on Oct. 20.