Manhattan University Athletics

HAMDEN, Conn. – After recording a program-record 13 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) victories in 2013, the Manhattan College volleyball team began its 2014 MAAC slate on Saturday afternoon.  And the Jaspers (7-4, 1-0 MAAC) picked up right where they left off last season, snapping their three-match losing streak with a 25-20, 25-17, 14-25, 25-20 victory over Quinnipiac (1-10, 0-1 MAAC) at Burt Kahn Court.

Quinnipiac jumped out to an early 5-1 advantage in the first set before the Jaspers responded with an 8-3 run, going in front 9-8 on a service ace by Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany).  After the Bobcats regained the lead, 12-10, Manhattan got an ace from Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) that made it 17-15 in the Jaspers' favor.  With Manhattan leading 19-18, Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) slammed a kill to spark a 5-0 rally that brought the Jaspers to set point, and a Van Dyk kill finished off a 25-20 win.  The Manhattan offense was on fire in the first set, hitting a scorching .565 (16 kills, three errors, 23 attempts).

The Bobcats built another early lead in the second set, going ahead 3-1 before a kill by Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) started an 8-2 Manhattan spurt that gave the Jaspers a 9-5 advantage.  Quinnipiac got back within two at 12-10, but another McGuinness kill sparked a 4-0 run that increased the margin to six points, 16-10.  The Jaspers used another 4-0 rally to turn an 18-14 cushion into a 22-14 edge, and Kitlar pounded a kill to seal a 25-17 set win.  Manhattan's offense was just as efficient in set two, posting a .393 (14-3-28) hitting percentage in the frame.

In the third set, Quinnipiac again pulled in front early, taking an 8-3 edge on an ace by Allison Leigh.  The Bobcats extended their advantage to 18-8 and led 20-10 before the Jaspers rallied for three straight points.  However, that's as close as Manhattan would get.  Quinnipiac ended the set on a 5-1 run, hitting .389 (8-1-18) as a team in the 25-14 victory.

Manhattan rebounded in the fourth set, scoring the first two points and pushing the margin to 7-3, forcing Quinnipiac to call timeout.  The Bobcats went on a 5-1 run out of that timeout, though, tying the score at 8-8.  Quinnipiac rallied to take a 17-14 lead before the Jaspers scored five straight points to go up 19-17.  After the Bobcats forced a 20-20 deadlock, Kitlar slammed a kill to give the lead back to Manhattan.  That kill started a 5-0 run, and Kitlar served an ace on match point to wrap up the set, 25-20, and a 3-1 triumph for Manhattan.

McGuinness recorded her fourth consecutive double-double for the Jaspers, finishing with 11 kills and 10 digs.  Volovski and Kitlar added nine kills apiece, while Kitlar also had three aces.  Van Dyk, meanwhile, tallied eight kills on .500 hitting to go along with six digs.  Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) handed out 35 assists and Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) contributed 14 digs, as the Jaspers outdug the Bobcats 45-22.  Manhattan hit a solid .305 (48-19-95) as a team.

For Quinnipiac, Katie Urycki led the way with a match-high 14 kills.  She added two aces and three blocks.  Leigh had seven kills to go along with four blocks, as the Bobcats held a 9-1 edge in that department.  Nicole Milillo, meanwhile, served four aces.  Sierra Dawson distributed 30 assists and Cody Michaels paced the Bobcats with seven digs.  As a team, Quinnipiac hit .218 (42-18-110) in the match.