Box Score
HAMDEN, Conn. – The Manhattan College volleyball team entered Sunday's regular season finale at Quinnipiac knowing that its next match would be against Rider in the first round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament on Friday. The only question was whether the Jaspers would be the No. 4 or 5 seed. Needing a win to lock up the No. 4 seed, that's exactly what Manhattan got, as the Jaspers (19-13, 12-6 MAAC) knocked off the Bobcats (3-28, 1-17 MAAC) by a 25-23, 25-23, 25-16 count at Burt Kahn Gymnasium.
In the first set, Manhattan jumped out to an early 10-3 lead before Quinnnipiac rallied to get within 12-9. A Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) kill started a 4-0 run that brought the Jaspers' advantage back to seven at 16-9, but the Bobcats responded with a 13-6 spurt to even the score at 22-22. Kills by Van Dyk and Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) gave Manhattan its first set point opportunity at 24-22, and Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) finished off the 25-23 win with a kill.
After the Bobcats took a 7-4 lead to start the second set, a Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) kill started a 6-1 Manhattan run that put the Jaspers up 10-8. Quinnipiac scored the next three points to go back in front, but Manhattan countered with three of its own to regain a 13-11 advantage. With the score knotted at 14-14, the Jaspers won a point on a Quinnipiac error, then Van Dyk served four aces in a row to make it 19-14. Her kill got Manhattan to set point at 24-20, and, following three straight Bobcats points, Van Dyk put another one home to wrap up the frame, 25-23, and give the Jaspers a 2-0 edge in the match.
Quinnipiac built an early cushion again in the third set, scoring the first three points. However, Manhattan responded with an 8-1 run to go up 8-4, then, after the Bobcats cut the margin to two at 8-6, used an 11-2 spurt to open up a 19-8 advantage. Quinnipiac rallied for six of the next eight points to trim its deficit to six at 21-15 before Janjusevic ripped three kills in the next four points to put Manhattan on the brink of victory. Alyssa Rehrer (Lorton, Va.) followed with an ace to cap a 25-16 set win and the Jaspers' third 3-0 triumph in their last four matches.
Janjusevic hit .552 in the match, slamming 18 kills and making just two errors in 29 attempts. She added a team-high nine digs. Van Dyk finished with 12 kills and five aces, while Kostic tallied six kills. Gray handed out 40 assists to go along with five digs, and Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) contributed six digs. The Jaspers hit a solid .292 (44-16-96) as a team.
Jen Coffey had 14 kills and hit .722 (one error, 18 attempts) for the Bobcats. Emma Ogden distributed 24 assists and added a team-high eight digs, as Quinnipiac outdug Manhattan 30-28. Elizabeth Kloos recorded five blocks, as the Bobcats held a 10-3 blocking advantage. As a team, Quinnipiac hit .141 (28-17-78) in the match.
Manhattan and Siena finished tied for third place in the final MAAC standings. However, the Saints own the tiebreaker, meaning the Jaspers will be the No. 4 seed and open the MAAC Tournament, which takes place on Siena's home floor, against fifth-seeded Rider (16-16, 11-7 MAAC) at 5 p.m. on Friday. The Jaspers and Broncs split the season series in 2015, with each team winning on the other's home floor.