Manhattan University Athletics

RIVERDALE, NY – If the Manhattan College volleyball team qualifies for next month's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament, Saturday's match will likely be one of the reasons why.  Taking on second-place Quinnipiac (17-8, 9-3 MAAC) at Draddy Gymnasium, the Jaspers (9-17, 5-7 MAAC) notched a thrilling 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 15-13 victory for their third straight win and fourth in their last five contests.

After Quinnipiac won the fourth set to force a deciding frame, the Bobcats scored the first two points of the final stanza.  The Jaspers tied the score at 4-4 on an Alyssa Rehrer (Lorton, VA) service ace, and Manhattan led 8-5 when the teams switched ends.  Quinnipiac got back within one at 12-11 before Olyvia Chaltas (Temecula, CA) slammed a kill to make it 13-11.  Another Chaltas kill brought the Jaspers to match point, and Sandra Lozanova (Pernik, Bulgaria) ended it with a kill off the Quinnipiac block.  Manhattan clinched the victory with a 15-13 fifth-set win.  It was the Jaspers' first 3-2 victory since Oct. 31, 2015, when they beat Siena, snapping a five-match losing streak in five-setters.

“I'm very happy with our effort and communication today against a very good Quinnipiac team,” Head Coach Mark Jones said.  “I really liked our confidence in the match and the poise when the match got tight.  Overall, this was a very good team win.”

Lozanova had a career-high 17 kills, including the winner, while Chaltas finished with 16 kills.  Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) posted a double-double with 11 kills and 18 digs, and Zoe Lindsey (McHenry, IL) recorded a double-double of her own with 49 assists and 14 digs.  Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia), meanwhile, tallied nine kills on .300 hitting to go along with a career-best nine blocks, including four solo stuffs.  Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, HI) and Rehrer contributed 12 digs apiece, as the Jaspers outdug the Bobcats 67-61.  As a team, Manhattan hit .196 (60 kills, 27 errors, 168 attempts) in the match.

“Everyone played great, especially Sandra with a career-high in kills,” Jones said.  “I also think Zoe did a very good job distributing the ball.  If we play like this the rest of the season, good things are going to happen.”

Quinnipiac jumped out to an 8-3 lead early in the first set before Manhattan battled back within one at 10-9.  It was 14-13 in favor of Quinnipiac when the Bobcats went on a 5-1 run to build a five-point advantage, 19-14.  After a Chaltas kill again trimmed the Jaspers' deficit to one at 22-21, Quinnipiac scored three of the next four points to claim the opening set, 25-22.

The Jaspers hit .355 (15-4-31) as a unit in the second set.  It was 4-4 when a Kostic and Lozanova block started a 5-1 rally that gave Manhattan a 9-5 advantage.  After a Janjusevic ace made it 15-9, Quinnipiac went on a 5-1 spurt to pull within two, 16-14.  However, a Chaltas kill on the next point ignited an 8-1 spurt that brought the Jaspers to set point.  Manhattan evened the contest with a 25-17 set win.

In the third set, Quinnipiac used a 7-2 run to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 16-12 advantage.  Lozanova smacked a kill on the next point, though, and three Manhattan blocks—all involving Kostic—followed, tying the score at 16-16.  After the Jaspers won a long rally to reach set point, Janjusevic served an ace to finish off the frame, 25-22, and give Manhattan a 2-1 match lead.

There were three early ties in the fourth set before Quinnipiac went on a 9-3 run to open up a 12-8 lead.  The Jaspers responded with four straight points to tie it at 12-12, but the Bobcats countered with an 8-2 spurt to go back in front, 21-15.  Quinnipiac notched a 25-19 set win to force a decisive frame.

For the Bobcats, Jen Coffey led the way with 16 kills.  Allison Leigh had a double-double with 11 kills and 10 blocks, while Elizabeth Kloos and Kat Miller added 10 kills apiece.  Miller also recorded nine digs and four blocks.  Maria Pansari distributed 47 assists to go along with seven digs and three aces.  Cody Michaels, meanwhile, registered 10 digs and three aces.  Natalie Alechko paced the Bobcats with 13 digs.  Quinnipiac held a 13-9 advantage in blocks and hit .165 (54-28-158) as a team.