Manhattan University Athletics

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – For the third time this season, the Manhattan College volleyball team went five sets with Fairfield on Saturday.  This time, however, it was the Stags that won the decisive frame, as fourth-seeded Fairfield (19-12) knocked off the third-seeded Jaspers (21-13) 21-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-13 in the third-place match of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament from HP Pavilion at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Taking the court a mere 13 hours after their semifinal loss to Siena on Friday night, the Jaspers jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the first set.  After Fairfield tied the score at 11-11, a Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) kill started a 7-2 rally that gave Manhattan an 18-13 advantage.  The Stags scored three of the next four points to get within 19-16, but the Jaspers got a kill from Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) to bring the lead back to four.  A Volovski kill brought Manhattan to set point at 24-20, and the Jaspers finished off a 25-21 win with a block by Van Dyk and Clare Bozzo (Salinas, Calif.).

Fairfield took an early 7-3 advantage in the second set before a Volovski kill started a 4-1 Manhattan run that brought the Jaspers within one, 8-7.  After the Stags captured the next two points to extend their cushion to three, 10-7, the Jaspers responded with a 12-4 run that gave them a 19-14 lead.  Fairfield cut its deficit to four points at 23-19, but Manhattan captured the next two to take the set, 25-19, and go ahead 2-0 in the match.

The Stags again built an early cushion in the third set, opening up a 9-4 edge before a Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) kill started an 8-1 Manhattan rally that she ended with a block, putting the Jaspers up 12-10.  Fairfield countered with a 4-0 run to reclaim the lead, 14-12, but Manhattan responded with three straight points, taking a 15-14 advantage on a Volovski kill.  After Fairfield's Megan O'Sullivan smacked a kill to tie it at 15-15, the Stags claimed five of the next six points to pull in front 20-16.  Fairfield extended the match with a 25-19 set win.

It was more of the same in the fourth set, as Manhattan took an early 9-5 lead before the Stags rallied to go ahead 14-12.  After a Van Dyk kill and an Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) service ace knotted the score at 14-14, Fairfield claimed eight of the next 12 points to open up a 22-18 advantage.  The Stags held on for a 25-20 set win that sent these two squads into a decisive stanza for the third time in as many meetings this season.

And just like the two regular season meetings, the fifth set was a back-and-forth affair.  The teams traded the first 10 points of the frame before the Jaspers went on a 3-0 rally to take an 8-5 advantage at the side change.  After a McGuinness ace made it 11-8, Fairfield countered with four straight points to go ahead 12-11.  Volovski ripped a kill to even the score at 12-12, then the Stags got kills from Caitlin Stapleton and Megan Theiller to earn two match point opportunities.  The Jaspers fought off one match point on a Van Dyk kill, but were unable to stop the other, as Fairfield posted a 15-13 fifth set win to cap the comeback and clinch third place.

Manhattan swept Fairfield in the regular season for the first time in program history, but fell to the Stags in the MAAC Tournament for the second consecutive year and the fourth straight time overall.  Last season, Fairfield beat Manhattan 3-1 in the semifinals en route to its second straight MAAC title.

Van Dyk had a double-double for the Jaspers with 15 kills and 15 digs, while McGuinness tallied 12 kills and 15 digs in her final match in a Manhattan uniform.  Volovski added 11 kills, and Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) recorded four blocks in her last collegiate contest.  Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) contributed 43 kills, 15 digs and four kills on .571 hitting.  Yamashiro, meanwhile, finished with a team-high 21 digs to extend her school record.  As a team, the Jaspers hit .153 (51-24-177) in the match.

Stapleton, who smashed 20 kills against the Jaspers at Draddy Gymnasium on Nov. 9, finished with 22 on .562 hitting in the third-place match.  She also had 13 digs and seven blocks.  O'Sullivan tallied 11 kills and 10 blocks, while Theiller recorded a double-double of her own with 10 kills and 24 digs.  Marilyn Peizer added 11 kills and Lindsay Weaver contributed 10 kills.  Carsen Mata distributed 57 assists to go along with 10 digs, and Camille Coffey posted a match-high 26 digs.  The Stags outdug the Jaspers 90-78 and held a 14-6 advantage in blocks.  Fairfield hit .209 (68-29-187) as a team.