Box Score
Box Score
SAN JOSE, CA – The Manhattan College volleyball team concluded play at the Spartan Invitational on Saturday night with a matchup against host San Jose State. After winning a tight first set that featured nine ties and five lead changes, the Spartans (3-0) took the next two, as well, notching a 31-29, 25-15, 25-20 victory over the Jaspers (0-3) at Spartan Gym.
San Jose State went on a 9-0 run after Manhattan scored the first point of the match. With the Spartans leading 14-3, Casey Monroe (Riverview, FL) smacked consecutive kills to spark a 10-3 Jaspers rally that cut the margin to four points, 17-13. San Jose State responded by claiming four of the next five points to run its lead back to seven, 21-14 before Sandra Lozanova (Pernik, Bulgaria) ripped a kill to start a 9-1 spurt that put Manhattan in front 23-22.
An Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) kill brought the Jaspers to set point at 24-23, and Manhattan reached set point again at 25-24 and 27-26. San Jose State also had three set point opportunities, but Milena Janjusevic (Belgrade, Serbia) followed each with a kill, as the teams were deadlocked nine times in the opening frame. The Spartans finally closed out the set, 31-29, on a block by Thailana Grajeda and Thelma Gretarsdottir.
In the second set, San Jose State opened up a 10-6 lead before Manhattan countered with three straight points to make it 10-9. However, the Spartans responded with a 4-1 spurt to go up 14-10, and San Jose State eventually extended that advantage to 24-13. The Spartans took the set by a 25-15 count to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
After Manhattan built an early 3-1 cushion in the third set, San Jose State rallied for seven straight points to go up 8-3. The Jaspers got back within one when a block by Kostic and Zoe Lindsey (McHenry, IL) made it 9-7 in favor of the Spartans before San Jose State countered with a 7-2 run to open up a seven-point margin, 16-9. Manhattan trimmed its deficit to three at 18-15, but the Spartans responded with five of the next six points to move within two points of the victory. San Jose State reached match point at 24-17 and capped a 3-0 victory with a 25-20 third-set win.
Janjusevic led Manhattan with nine kills, while Monroe tallied eight kills and three assists. Lozanova added seven kills and six digs. Lindsey also had six digs to go along with 26 assists. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, HI) collected a match-high 13 digs for the Jaspers, who hit .036 (31 kills, 27 errors, 111 attempts) as a team.
Gretarsdottir, the tournament MVP, had a double-double for the Spartans, finishing with 10 kills and 10 digs to go along with five blocks. Summer Avery added 10 kills, while Grajeda notched six kills and nine blocks. Berann Robinson handed out 19 assists and Kaitlynn Zdroik dished out 11 assists. Luiza Andrade recorded a team-best 12 digs, as San Jose State outdug Manhattan 42-38. The Spartans also held a 12-7 advantage in blocking and hit .110 (36-24-109) as a unit.
Up next, Manhattan makes the short trip to Fordham (2-1) for the “Battle of the Bronx.” The contest gets underway at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.
