Box Score
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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan College volleyball team couldn't have asked for a better homestand. The Jaspers played the last of five consecutive matches at Draddy Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The first four had a common theme: a Manhattan victory. Wednesday's match was no different, as the Jaspers (9-5) picked up their sixth straight victory and remained perfect at home this season with a 25-16, 25-16, 25-11 triumph over Fairleigh Dickinson (9-5).
"That's what we wanted to do, what we wanted to accomplish, before we head up to Buffalo," Head Coach Mark Jones said. "It definitely shows what we're capable of doing. If you're going to win five matches in a row, the effort's there every night. We've been doing what we need to do to win, and I'm very proud of this team right now."
Manhattan took control early in the first set, going on a 5-0 run to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 7-4 advantage. A 4-0 spurt with Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) serving extended the Jaspers' cushion to 12-7 before FDU scored five of the next eight points to cut the lead to two, 15-13. However, a Mariana Furquim (Curitiba, Brazil) kill on the next point started an 8-1 rally that brought the lead back to eight points, 22-14. Manhattan reached set point on a block by Alexa Lampasona (Remsenburg, N.Y.) and Brittany DeGagne (Penticton, B.C.), then closed the 25-16 win on a McGuinness service ace.
The Jaspers used another early run to jump out to a quick lead in the second set. Manhattan built a 5-2 cushion before Fairleigh Dickinson battled back within one at 8-7. A McGuinness kill followed, igniting an 11-2 rally that put the Jaspers up 19-9. FDU scored the next three points to make it 19-12, but the Jaspers responded with three points of their own. McGuinness pounded a kill to bring Manhattan set point, and Lampasona finished off the frame with a kill of her own. The Knights hit -.088 (seven kills, 10 errors, 34 attempts) in the second set, which Manhattan won by an identical 25-16 count.
FDU scored the first two points of the third set, but it was all Manhattan from there. Back-to-back LaKell Havens (St. George, Utah) kills put the Jaspers in front 3-2, and Manhattan got a kill from McGuinness to cap a 7-1 rally and take a 7-3 lead. After a kill by FDU's Meaghan Wheeler, a stuff block by Hollegn Henderson (Long Beach, Calif.) started another 7-2 Manhattan run that made it 14-6. The Knights trimmed their deficit to 14-9 before the Jaspers won 11 of the final 13 points to claim the set, 25-11, and a 3-0 victory. Manhattan hit an outstanding .458 (12-1-24), compared to -.069 (6-8-29) hitting for FDU, in the final set.
McGuinness led the Jaspers with 12 kills on .364 hitting. She also recorded three aces and six digs. Havens slammed 10 kills and hit .318 to go along with five digs and three blocks. Henderson distributed 28 assists while also notching thee kills and four digs. Julie Bies (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Kelsey Huntoon (Monroe, Mich.) each had a team-high eight digs for the Jaspers, who outdug the Knights 40-32. Overall, Manhattan hit .299 (37-11-87) in the match.
For Fairleigh Dickinson, Wheeler led the way with 12 kills. She also tallied seven digs. Sarah Willey handed out 12 assists and Kelsey Semler had a match-high nine digs. The Knights hit -.021 (23-25-94) as a team.
Manhattan (3-0 MAAC) returns to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play this weekend with visits to Niagara (9-7, 3-0 MAAC) and Canisius (5-9, 0-3 MAAC). Saturday's matchup with Niagara, which gets underway at 2 p.m., is a showdown of the only two remaining undefeated teams in MAAC play.
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