Box Score
BRONX, N.Y. - The Manhattan College volleyball team opened the Rose Hill Classic against cross-town rival Fordham on Friday afternoon at Rose Hill Gym. Manhattan (2-4) hit .333 (15 kills, one error, 42 attempts) en route to a 25-12 second set win, but the Rams (4-4) ultimately proved too strong in a 25-15, 12-25, 25-11, 25-17 victory.
In the first set, Fordham used a 7-0 run to turn a 4-4 tie into an 11-4 advantage. Manhattan rallied for the next three points to make it 11-7, but that's as close as the Lady Jaspers would come in the set. The Rams scored six of the next eight points to increase their lead to 19-11, then got back-to-back service aces from Sara Friede to close out a 25-15 set win.
After Fordham scored the first point of the second set, a kill by Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif.) that ended a long rally ignited a 5-0 Manhattan run that put the Lady Jaspers in control of the set. The Rams pulled within 7-4 before Manhattan rallied for 11 of the next 14 points to open up an 18-7 advantage. Diane Strutner (San Jose, Calif.) slammed a kill to increase Manhattan's lead to 20-8 before Fordham rallied for four straight points to get back within eight at 20-12. However, another Tidwell kill sparked another 5-0 Manhattan rally, and the Lady Jaspers capped a 25-12 set win on a block by Rita Welsh (Collegeville, Pa.).
Just as Manhattan dominated the second set, Fordham controlled the third set from the start. The Rams raced out to a 9-1 lead and never trailed in the set. After Fordham increased its lead to 17-5, Jaci Rahey (West Milford, N.J.) smashed three kills in a four-point span to pull the Lady Jaspers within 17-9. That's as close as Manhattan would get, however, as Fordham ended the set in an 8-2 run to clinch a 25-11 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Rams hit .414 (13-1-29) in the third set.
Manhattan took an early 6-3 lead in the fourth set before the Rams charged back to force a 9-9 tie. The Lady Jaspers scored the next point to regain the lead, 10-9, but Fordham seized control after that, scoring the next five points and 10 of the next 12 to open up a 20-12 lead. Manhattan clawed back within five at 22-17, but the deficit was too large to overcome and Fordham clinched the match with a 25-17 fourth set win. Fordham continued its solid attack in the fourth set, hitting .324 (16-4-37).
Strutner recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 kills and 12 digs. Rahey also tallied 11 kills, and Tidwell added eight kills on .300 hitting for the Lady Jaspers. Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) paced Manhattan with 18 digs, while Laura Bellotti (Dix Hills, N.Y.) handed out a team-high 26 assists. The Lady Jaspers hit .182 (42-17-137) in the match.
Kailee May had a match-high 14 kills and added 10 digs for the Rams. Friede also notched a double-double with 10 kills and 16 blocks, while Katie Wells recorded 10 kills and four blocks. Megan Arend tallied 18 digs for Fordham, as the Rams outdug the Lady Jaspers 64-55. Kim Capicotto distributed 39 assists to go along with seven digs. As a team, Fordham hit .218 (47-18-33), including .364 (29-5-66) over the final two sets.
The Lady Jaspers have another match on Friday, as they take on Central Connecticut State (1-2) at 4:30 p.m. Last weekend at the CCSU Blue Devil Invitational, Manhattan knocked off the Blue Devils in five sets.
