Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Last year, the Manhattan College volleyball team swept the season series with perennial Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) power Fairfield for the first time in program history, only to see the Stags emerge victorious when the sides met in the third-place match of the MAAC Tournament. In the first meeting between the teams since that five-set thriller, the Stags (9-8, 5-3 MAAC) again came out on top, earning a 25-23, 25-22, 25-23 victory over the Jaspers (11-10, 5-3 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
After Fairfield scored the first point of the match, Manhattan rallied for five straight to go up 5-1. The Jaspers led 11-6 before the Stags went on a 4-0 spurt to pull within one, 11-10. Manhattan countered with nine of the next 11 points, though, to open up a 20-13 advantage. However, Fairfield stormed back, going on a 10-1 run to take a 23-21 lead, and the Stags captured the opening set by a 25-23 margin.
Manhattan opened the second set with five consecutive points, then, after the Stags trimmed their deficit to 5-4, responded with three straight points to make it 8-4. Fairfield rallied to tie it at 9-9 before OIyvia Chaltas (Temeclua, Calif.) ripped a kill to start a 3-1 run that put the Jaspers in front 13-11. However, the Stags countered with an 11-4 spurt to go up 21-17. Manhattan got back within one at 23-22, but Fairfield clinched the next two points to finish off a 25-22 set win.
In the third set, it was Fairfield that jumped out to the early 5-2 advantage before a Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) kill ignited a 9-1 Manhattan run, with her service ace putting the Jaspers up 11-6. The Stags rattled off 15 of the next 21 points, though, to regain the lead, 21-17. With Fairfield in front 23-20, Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) and Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) teamed up for a block. A Peric kill and a Fairfield error followed, tying the score at 23-23. However, the Stags won the next point to reach match point, then took the next to close out the set, 25-23, and the 3-0 win.
Janjusevic and Kostic tallied nine kills apiece to pace the Jaspers. Janjusevic also had three blocks and a team-high 14 digs, while Kostic contributed four blocks. Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) added seven kills on .312 hitting. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) recorded 12 digs and Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) collected 10 digs. Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) handed out 30 assists for the Jaspers, who hit .109 (36 kills, 22 errors, 128 attempts) as a team.
Skyler Day had a double-double for Fairfield, finishing with a match-high 12 kills to go along with 12 digs. Megan O'Sullivan added 10 kills and four blocks, while Sydney Williams tallied eight kills on .438 hitting and six blocks. Oyinkansola Akinola also collected six blocks, as the Stags held a 12-6 edge in that department. Fairfield also outdug Manhattan 64-54, with Taylor Rudeen notching a match-high 18 digs. Kiley Lingenfelter distributed 19 assists, and Sydney Buckley dished out 17 assists. As a team, Fairfield hit .139 (44-25-137) in the match.
The Jaspers reach the midway point of the MAAC schedule on Sunday, when they conclude their four-match homestand with a 1 p.m. showdown against Quinnipiac (2-18, 1-8 MAAC).