Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. – After defeating Niagara in four sets on Saturday, the Manhattan College volleyball team looked to finish off a sweep of the Buffalo trip at Canisius on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, though, the Jaspers (14-11, 8-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) came up just short, as the Griffs (8-15, 6-5 MAAC) posted a 27-25, 25-18, 26-24 victory at the Koessler Athletic Center.
The Jaspers stormed out of the gate, opening up an 11-3 advantage early in the first set. After Canisius rallied within one at 12-11, a kill by Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) started a 4-1 Manhattan run that brought the margin back to four, 16-12. An Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) service ace brought the Jaspers to set point at 24-21, but the Griffs responded with four straight to earn a set point of their own. Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) slammed a kill to even the score at 25-25 before Canisius claimed the next two points to finish off its set-ending 6-1 run and take the frame by a 27-25 count.
In the second set, Canisius jumped out to a 10-6 lead before Manhattan countered with an 8-5 spurt to pull within one, 15-14. However, the Griffs responded with six straight points to run the margin back to seven, 21-14. After Manhattan got back within four at 22-18 on a Kostic ace, Canisius scored the next three points to cap a 25-18 set win.
Canisius again built an early advantage in the third set, going up 9-4 to force a Manhattan timeout. With the Griffs leading 15-12, a Kostic kill started a 7-2 Jaspers run that put Manhattan in front 19-17. The Jaspers opened up a 22-19 lead on a kill by Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) before Canisius rallied to knot the score at 22-22. Manhattan claimed the next two points, reaching set point on a Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) ace. However, the Griffs again battled back. Canisius tied it at 24-24, then earned its first match point on a kill by Jacklyn Malusa. Malusa smashed another kill on the next point, as Canisius took the set, 26-24, to wrap up a 3-0 victory.
Van Dyk had a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Janjusevic finished with seven kills, while Kostic tallied six kills, four blocks and three aces. Gray handed out 28 assists, and Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) returned a team-high 13 digs. As a team, Manhattan hit .125 (36 kills, 21 errors, 120 attempts) in the match.
For Canisius, Katlyn Tyler led the way with 13 kills. Malusa added 10 kills and four blocks, while Rachel Kline had nine kills and a match-high 18 digs. Jordan Tylec contributed 10 digs for the Griffs, as Canisius held a 56-41 advantage in that category. Grace Streicher distributed 33 assists to go along with nine digs and four aces. The Griffs hit a combined .277 (42-14-101) as a team.
Manhattan concludes its four-match MAAC road trip on Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. visit to Rider (14-12, 9-3 MAAC). The Broncs won in five sets when the sides met at Draddy Gymnasium on Oct. 10.