Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – After opening Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on the road last weekend, the Manhattan College volleyball team played its first home conference match of the season against Canisius on Saturday. In a tightly-contested battle that featured a total of 26 ties and 10 lead changes, the Jaspers (8-7, 2-1 MAAC) emerged with a 25-22, 29-27, 27-25 victory over the Griffs (4-11, 2-1 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium.
The Jaspers jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first set, but Canisius rattled off seven of the next eight points to go up 8-6. With the score knotted at 13-13, Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) smashed a kill to start a 6-0 rally that gave Manhattan a 19-13 advantage. After the Griffs got back within two at 20-18, the Jaspers responded with a 4-1 rally to reach set point at 24-19. Canisius fought off three set points before a Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) kill closed out a 25-22 set win for Manhattan.
In the second set, Canisius built a 14-5 advantage in the second set before Olyvia Chaltas (Temecula, Calif.) smashed a kill to start an 11-3 run that brought Manhattan within one, 17-16. After the Griffs countered with a 5-1 spurt to extend their lead to five at 22-17, a Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) kill started a 5-0 rally that tied the score. Manhattan got to set point when a Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) kill made it 24-23, but Canisius took the next two points to earn a set point of its own. Van Dyk responded with a kill, and Manhattan fought off another set point at 26-25 on a Peric kill. The Jaspers eventually took the frame by a 29-27 count to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
“I think Canisius did a good job of serving and really took us out of our rhythm,” Head Coach Mark Jones said. “I'm really proud of the effort, especially in second set. We got some key kills off the bench and served dynamite down the stretch.”
Canisius scored the first three points of the third set before Manhattan rallied to tie it at 5-5. After the Griffs went back in front 13-9, Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) had three consecutive blocks—two with Volovski, one with Janjusevic—to make it a one-point margin, 13-12. The Jaspers eventually took the lead, 19-18, on a Peric service ace, and a Peric kill brought Manhattan to match point at 24-21. However, Canisius responded with three straight points to tie it at 24-24. After a Janjusevic kill again gave Manhattan a match point opportunity, Jacklyn Malusa and Samantha Zebuth combined for a block to keep the Griffs alive. Van Dyk followed with a kill to set up another match point. This time, the Jaspers finished it off, with a Van Dyk kill wrapping up the set, 27-25, and the 3-0 victory.
It was a balanced offensive effort for the Jaspers, with nine different players registering at least one kill. Van Dyk led the way with nine kills to go along with 12 digs. Janjusevic finished with seven kills and 15 digs, while Behrens tallied five kills and six blocks. Peric recorded 20 assists, four kills, three digs and an ace off the bench. Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho), meanwhile, contributed 11 assists. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) collected a match-high 24 digs and served three aces, and Alyssa Rehrer (Lorton, Va.) posted nine digs and two aces. The Jaspers hit .153 (42 kills, 20 errors, 144 attempts) and outdug Canisius 69-68. Manhattan also held an 8-5 advantage in aces.
Katlyn Tyler and Rachel Kline paced Canisius with 14 kills apiece. Tyler added 11 digs, while Kline notched 10 digs. Grace Streicher also had a double-double with 34 assists and 10 digs. Malusa and Lauren Siebert each posted six blocks, as the Griffs outblocked the Jaspers 9-7. Jordan Tylec had 17 digs and Julia Hrycyk notched 12 digs for Canisius, which hit .159 (41-19-138) as a team.
Manhattan returns to action with a 1 p.m. matchup against Niagara (5-8, 2-1 MAAC) on Sunday. The Jaspers beat the Purple Eagles three times last season, including a five-set triumph in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament.