Box Score
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – After seeing its six-match winning streak snapped by Canisius on Saturday, the Manhattan College volleyball team entered Sunday afternoon's match at Niagara needing a victory to maintain its hold on third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Jaspers (15-9, 8-4 MAAC) and Purple Eagles (10-13, 6-6 MAAC) split the first two sets before Manhattan pulled away for a 26-24, 21-25, 25-18, 25-12 triumph at the Gallagher Center.
Niagara scored the first four points of the match and led for almost the entire first set. The Purple Eagles reached set point at 24-19 before Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) slammed a kill to keep the Jaspers alive. She then served an ace and Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) followed with a kill to bring Manhattan within two, 24-22. The Jaspers fought off another set point before tying the score at 24-24 on a block by Volovski and Clare Bozzo (Salinas, Calif.). A kill by Volovski gave Manhattan its first lead of the set at 25-24, and that one set point was all the Jaspers would need, as they ended the stanza on a 7-0 run to steal a 26-24 come-from-behind win.
Manhattan took an early 4-2 lead in the second set, but Niagara responded with a 7-2 spurt to go ahead 9-6. The Purple Eagles extended their advantage to 14-10 before a McGuinness kill started a 4-1 Manhattan rally that brought the Jaspers within one, 15-14. Niagara then claimed the next four points to bring its margin back to five, 19-14. The Purple Eagles reached set point at 24-18 and this time held off the Jaspers' comeback effort, closing out a 25-21 win that leveled the match.
The Purple Eagles built a 6-4 advantage early in the third set before a Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) kill started an 11-1 Manhattan run. Van Dyk capped the rally with an ace that made it 15-7. A block by McGuinness and Bozzo brought the Jaspers to set point at 24-17, and McGuinness smashed a kill to finish off the frame, 25-18.
In the fourth set, the Jaspers raced out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back. An Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) ace extended the margin to 12-2 before Niagara scored four of the next six points to trim its deficit to eight, 14-6. The Jaspers rattled off nine of the next 12 points, though, to get within two points of victory. A Van Dyk kill set up match point, and Manhattan closed out the 3-1 triumph by taking the fourth set, 25-12. It was the Jaspers' third straight victory at the Gallagher Center and sixth consecutive win against Niagara overall.
McGuinness led the Jaspers with 21 kills on .327 hitting. She added 10 digs and a pair of aces. Van Dyk also had a double-double with 14 kills and 22 digs to go along with three aces. Volovski finished with 13 kills, while Bozzo hit .364 and posted five blocks. Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) tallied 49 assists and 16 digs, and Yamashiro returned a match-high 26 digs in the victory. Manhattan outdug Niagara 84-69 and hit .227 (56 kills, 21 errors, 154 attempts) as a team.
Rayenne Hale had 11 kills to pace the Purple Eagles, while Amanda Sedore contributed 10 kills and nine digs. Alex Stone also recorded 10 kills to go along with three blocks. Alexis Gray finished with 37 assists and 11 digs. Nicole Matheis led Niagara with 19 digs, and Rylee Hunt added 11 digs. As a team, the Purple Eagles hit .141 (45-21-170) in the match.
The Jaspers return to Draddy Gymnasium for the only time in a five-match stretch on Thursday night, when they conclude non-conference play against Hampton (13-9) at 7 p.m.