Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Coming off a 3-0 victory over Canisius on Saturday, the Manhattan College volleyball team welcomed Niagara to Draddy Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon. The Purple Eagles (5-9, 2-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) won the first set before the Jaspers (9-7, 3-1 MAAC) rallied to post a 19-25, 25-13, 25-21, 25-17 triumph.
Niagara scored the first three points of the match and led throughout the first set. After the Purple Eagles ran their cushion to 11-2, the Jaspers went on an 18-9 rally to trim their deficit to three, 20-17. However, Niagara responded with a 4-0 spurt to reach set point, and the Purple Eagles took the frame by a 25-19 count. As a team, Niagara slammed 18 kills and hit .325 (five errors, 40 attempts) in the opening set.
“I think we just needed to settle down (after the first set),” Head Coach Mark Jones said. “Overall, we're going to take away some positives. We just have to play a little more consistent. We served a lot tougher as it went on, so I'm really proud of that.”
After the Purple Eagles took an early 2-1 lead in the second set, a kill by Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) started a 16-5 run that gave the Jaspers a 17-7 advantage. Niagara pulled within 19-12 before Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) ripped a kill to start a set-ending 6-1 spurt. A block by Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho) and Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) ended the Jaspers' 25-13 win that evened the match at one set apiece.
In the third set, it was Manhattan that built an early cushion and never looked back. The Jaspers scored the first five points of the set and led 9-2 before Niagara went on a 6-1 run to pull within two at 10-8. However, Gray was credited with a kill on the next point to start a 7-3 rally that ran Manhattan's advantage back to six, 17-11. After the Purple Eagles trimmed the margin to one at 21-20, Van Dyk pounded consecutive kills to make it 23-20. The Purple Eagles took the next point, but Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Janjusevic followed with kills to finish off the set, 25-21, and give Manhattan a 2-1 lead in the match.
A Janjusevic kill broke a 3-3 deadlock and started a 6-1 Manhattan run early in the fourth set. The Jaspers extended the margin to seven points at 17-10 before Niagara countered with back-to-back points to get within five, 17-12. However, Van Dyk found the floor on the next point to spark a 7-2 rally, and her service ace set up Manhattan's first match point opportunity at 24-14. After the Purple Eagles fought off the Jaspers' first three chances, Van Dyk put away a kill to wrap up the set, 25-17, and the 3-1 victory.
As a team, Manhattan hit .239 in the match, slamming 51 kills and committing just 18 errors in 138 swings. Janjusevic and Van Dyk each had a double-double. Janjusevic finished with 14 kills and 11 digs, while Van Dyk tallied 13 kills (on .324 hitting) to go along with 14 digs and two aces. Behrens put together a .545 hitting percentage with seven kills, and she added three blocks. Kostic also contributed seven kills and three blocks. Gray, meanwhile, notched 45 assists and eight digs. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) collected 16 digs for the Jaspers, who outdug Niagara 63-58.
Alex Stone and Rayenne Hale each had 10 kills to lead the Purple Eagles. Nicole Matheis added eight kills, 12 digs and four blocks, while Melissa McGwin tallied six kills and four blocks. Alexis Gray handed out a team-best 29 assists, and Meghan Higley added 10 assists. Rylee Hunt notched a match-high 22 digs for Niagara, which hit .152 (46-24-145) as a team.
The Jaspers will now have almost an entire week off before returning to action. Manhattan visits Iona (3-12, 1-4 MAAC) at 3 p.m. on Saturday.