LOWELL, Mass. – Juliana Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) had 11 kills and committed just one error, hitting a solid .588 to lead the Manhattan College volleyball team (1-0) to a 23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 victory over UMass Lowell (0-1) in its season opener at the Costello Center on Friday night. The Jaspers have now won their opener in two of the past three seasons.
Manhattan quickly jumped out to a 4-0 first-set lead on the Riverhawks, who were playing in their first-ever Division I match. The Jaspers eventually extended their advantage to 10-4 before UMass Lowell rallied for nine of the next 11 points to go up 13-12. Manhattan responded by going back in front 22-18, prompting a UMass Lowell timeout. Following the timeout, Elima Ahzi slammed a kill to start a 6-0 run that brought the Riverhawks to set point. The Jaspers fought off one set point on a kill by Erin Weis (Omaha, Neb.) before UMass Lowell closed out the frame, 25-23.
The Jaspers again built a big early cushion in the second set. After Manhattan started the set on a 9-3 spurt, UMass Lowell countered with six of the next eight points to make it 11-9. However, a Weis kill brought the Jaspers' lead back to three at 12-9, and a service ace by Ellie Wiekamp (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) capped the 4-0 rally that pushed the advantage back to six points, 15-9. The Riverhawks again pulled within three at 18-15 before a kill by Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany), followed by two from Wiekamp made it 21-15. UMass Lowell again responded, fighting off two set points before Behrens slammed a kill to finally finish off the 25-23 set win that leveled the match at 1-1.
In the third set, the teams traded the first 10 points before Manhattan used a 10-2 rally to turn a 5-5 deadlock into a 15-7 lead. After a Kitlar kill made it 18-10, UMass Lowell went on an 8-1 run to get within one at 19-18. However, the Jaspers scored five of the next seven points to reach set point, and a Behrens kill put away the set, 25-21.
UMass Lowell took the early lead in set four, scoring three straight points to go up 7-4 after it was tied at 4-4. The Jaspers immediately countered, though, going on an 8-2 spurt to take a 12-9 lead. After UMass Lowell knotted the score at 13-13, four consecutive Manhattan kills gave the Jaspers a 170-13 advantage and prompted a Riverhawks timeout. UMass Lowell scored the first point out of the timeout, but Behrens slammed a kill on the next, and the Jaspers reached match point on a kill by Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.). Manhattan took the fourth set by a 25-18 count to wrap up a 3-1 season-opening win.
Behrens was one of several Jaspers to have a good night offensively. Wiekamp had a double-double with 12 kills and 16 digs, while Volovski contributed 11 kills in the victory. Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) finished with 23 assists, 12 digs and 12 service aces, and Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) also recorded a double-double with 15 assists and 13 digs. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) tallied a match-high 23 digs, as Manhattan outdug UMass Lowell 91-79. As a team, the Jaspers hit .149 (53-27-174) in the match.
Ella Merrill had a double-double for the Riverhawks, posting 14 kills and 14 digs. Anisa Smith finished with nine kills (on .346 hitting) and added six blocks, while Kamerin Humphrey handed out 20 assists. Carolyn Eddy led UMass Lowell with 17 digs. Kiana Raposo notched 14 digs and Brooke Peterson contributed 11 digs. UMass Lowell hit .144 (40-17-160) as a team.
Manhattan continues the Holy Cross/UMass Lowell Tournament with a pair of matches at Holy Cross on Saturday. The Jaspers take on Stony Brook (1-0) at 3 p.m., then have a 7 p.m. matchup with the host Crusaders (0-1).