Manhattan University Athletics

RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan College volleyball team led Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Iona two sets to one on Friday night.  However, the Gaels won the fourth set to force a decisive frame.  Iona (5-20, 3-9 MAAC) then took the final stanza to complete a 32-30, 13-25, 20-25, 25-15, 16-14 victory over the Jaspers (9-19, 5-9 MAAC) at the Hynes Center.

Leading the match 2-1, Manhattan jumped out to a 12-8 advantage in the fourth set.  Iona scored the next five points to take the lead before Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) slammed a kill to even the score at 13-13.  After the teams traded points, the Gaels went on a 10-0 run to go up 24-14.  A Sandra Lozanova (Pernik, Bulgaria) kill finally stopped the rally, but Iona won the next point to take the set, 25-15, and send the match into the fifth.

A Janjusevic servce ace gave the Jaspers a 5-2 lead in the final set, and a kill by Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) extended that advantage to five points at 10-5.  Iona responded with nine of the next 11 points, though, to go up 14-12.  Manhattan fought off one match point with a Janjusevic kill, then an Iona hitting error evened the score at 14-14.  The Gaels earned their third match point chance at 15-14, and this time they converted, as Emma Rose served an ace to close out the set, 16-14, and snap Iona's five-match losing streak against Manhattan.

Janjusevic was one of three Jaspers to post a double-double in the contest.  She finished with a match-high 19 kills and 19 digs to go along with four aces and four blocks.  Lozanova tallied 14 kills and 13 digs, while Zoe Lindsey (McHenry, IL) had 40 assists and 18 digs.  Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, HI) registered a match-high 26 digs, and Alyssa Rehrer (Lorton, VA) added 10 digs, as the Jaspers outdug the Gaels 97-94.  Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, HI) took part in seven of Manhattan's 12 blocks.  Olyvia Chaltas (Temecula, CA), meanwhile, recorded six blocks.  As a team, the Jaspers hit .106 (49 kills, 29 errors, 188 attempts) in the match.

In a first set that featured 17 ties and seven lead changes, the Jaspers used a late 5-0 rally to turn a 20-18 deficit into a 23-20 advantage.  After Iona scored the next three points to tie it up, an error by the Gaels gave Manhattan a set point at 24-23.  The Jaspers would have six set point chances, but each time Iona responded by taking the next point.  Iona earned its second set point at 31-30, and Gaels were able to convert, capturing the opening set by a 32-30 margin.

Manhattan built an early 8-3 lead in the second set, and the Jaspers extended that cushion to 15-7 on a block by Behrens and Lindsey.  Iona got within five at 15-10, but Janjusevic had two aces during a 5-1 run that pushed the margin back to nine points, 20-11.  Rehrer capped the wire-to-wire 25-13 set win with a pair of aces.

After the Jaspers opened up a 4-1 advantage to start the third set, Iona went on a 9-2 run to go ahead 10-6.  However, a Lozanova kill on the next point started a 10-2 Manhattan rally that put the Jaspers in front 16-14.  It was tied at 18-18 when Manhattan used a five-point spurt to pull ahead 23-18.  Janjusevic ripped a kill to finish off the Jaspers' 25-20 set win that gave them a 2-1 lead in the match.

Tess Connolly led Iona with 15 kills and 12 digs.  Karly White also had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 blocks, while Kait Ferretti finished with 11 assists and 14 digs.  Rose tallied 32 assists, 10 digs and six kills on .500 hitting.  Claire Archibald, meanwhile, registered eight kills and 12 digs.  Jessica Paolucci collected 20 digs, and Mia Bonsignore contributed six blocks to go along with seven kills.  Iona outblocked Manhattan 14-12 and hit .098 (59-39-205) as a team.