Box Score
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. ? The Manhattan College volleyball team needed a win on Saturday to keep its hopes for a berth in the four-team MAAC Tournament alive. The Lady Jaspers (6-14, 5-6 MAAC) got just what they were looking for on Saturday afternoon, posting a 25-23, 25-21, 25-21 victory over Rider (9-13, 2-10 MAAC) at Alumni Hall. With the win, Manhattan snapped its two-match losing streak and equaled its 2007 win total.
The first set featured 12 ties and six lead changes. Rider was the first team to build some separation, using a 4-0 run to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 lead, but Manhattan stormed back to force an 8-8 tie. A 7-3 Manhattan run turned a 10-9 Rider lead into a 16-13 advantage for the Lady Jaspers before the Broncs responded with a 6-1 run to go in front 19-17. After Manhattan scored four of the next five points to take a 22-20 advantage, Rider came back to force a 22-22 tie. With the score knotted at 23-23, the Lady Jaspers earned their first set point on a kill by Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.), then closed out a 25-23 win.
Rider used a 4-0 run early in the second set to take a 7-4 lead. Manhattan took control of the set with a 9-0 rally on Jen Haggerty's (Springfield, Pa.) serve that turned a 9-7 deficit into a 16-9 edge. The Broncs scored seven of the next eight points to get within one at 17-16, but the Lady Jaspers never let Rider even the score. Manhattan extended its lead to 24-21, then finished off the set, 25-21, on a kill by Welsh.
After Manhattan scored the first point of the third set, Rider scored the next five points to take a 5-1 lead. The Lady Jaspers responded with a 4-0 rally to knot the set at 5-5. With the score tied 8-8, the Broncs went on a 3-0 run to build an 11-8 advantage before Manhattan rallied to force a 14-14 tie. Leading 19-18, the Lady Jaspers went on a 4-0 run to pull within two points of the match. Manhattan earned its first match point when a kill by Alyssa Getzel (Richmond, Va.) made it 24-20, then the Lady Jaspers closed out the set, 25-21, and a 3-0 sweep on a Welsh kill.
Sherryta Stokes (Beltsville, Md.) notched her third straight double-double, and 12th of the season, with 15 kills and 12 digs. She also hit .609, committing just one error in 23 swings. Welsh tallied 11 kills and added eight blocks. Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) posted a match-high 17 digs, and Andrea Reiff (Hawthorne, N.Y.) registered 10 digs. Getzel dished out 19 assists, while Bridget Call (Roberts, Wisc.) chipped in with 12 assists. As a team, the Lady Jaspers hit .147 (39-22-116) for the match and out-dug the Broncs 50-46.
Katelyn Thompson led Rider with seven kills, while Alex Chapla and Lacey Johnson each had six kills for the Broncs. Chapla also had three blocks and hit .500. Tara Hansen had a team-high 13 digs and Amy Jeary, who entered the match second in the MAAC with 4.62 digs per set, was limited to just five digs. Amanda Piccolini distributed 25 assists for the Broncs. Rider hit .078 (31-22-116) as a team in the match.
Manhattan continues its road trip at Loyola (5-20, 1-9 MAAC) on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Lady Jaspers defeated the Greyhounds in five sets at Draddy Gymnasium on Sept. 21. After the Loyola match, Manhattan plays its next five conference matches at home.
