Manhattan University Athletics

NEWARK, Del. – On the first day of the University of Delaware Invitational, the Manhattan College volleyball team (6-3) suffered a pair of losses.  After dropping a 16-25, 25-17, 25-15, 25-20 decision to host Delaware (6-4), the Jaspers fought off four match points against George Mason before the Patriots (2-7) ultimately held on for a 13-25, 25-23, 26-24, 15-25, 19-17 victory at the Bob Carpenter Center on Friday.

In Manhattan's opening match, Delaware built an early 7-3 lead in the first set.  However, the Jaspers responded with a 6-0 run, taking a 9-7 advantage on a kill by Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.).  Manhattan eventually extended its lead to 16-10 on a Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) kill, but the Blue Hens claimed four of the next five points to pull within three, 17-14.  Delaware wouldn't get any closer, though, as a Sydney Volovski (Oswego, Ill.) kill started another 6-0 rally that pushed the Jaspers' lead to 23-14, and Manhattan held on to notch a 25-16 set win.

Delaware took another early lead in set two, opening up a 9-4 advantage.  After the Blue Hens extended the margin to 18-9, Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) smashed a kill to start a 4-0 Manhattan run that brought the Jaspers back within five at 18-13.  However, Delaware countered with a 5-2 spurt to again go up by eight points, 23-15, and the Blue Hens evened the match by taking the set, 25-17.

It was the Jaspers that built the early lead in the third set, as Manhattan scored the first three points of the set and led 7-3 after a service ace by Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii).  Delaware scored 15 of the next 17 points, though, to go ahead 18-9.  The run finally stopped on a service error, and the Jaspers went on a 4-1 rally to trim the margin to 19-13.  However, Manhattan would get no closer, as the Blue Hens took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-15 set win.

The Jaspers fell behind 8-4 early in the fourth set before storming back to take a 12-9 lead.  With Manhattan in front 14-10, Delaware went on a 12-3 spurt to go up 22-17.  A Delaware service error followed by a Sarah Haselhorst (Naperville, Ill.) ace brought the Jaspers within three at 22-19.  The Blue Hens reached match point after winning the next two points, though, and Delaware completed a 3-1 win by taking the fourth set, 25-20.

McGuinness paced the Jaspers with 11 kills, 17 digs and four blocks.  Teodora Peric (Chicago, Ill.) also had a double-double with 27 assists and 11 digs, while Van Dyk tallied seven kills and 10 digs.  Anna Kitlar (Kiel, Germany) notched five blocks and Behrens added four blocks, as the Jaspers outblocked the Blue Hens 12-10.  Yamashiro contributed 20 digs for Manhattan, which hit .042 (38 kills, 31 errors, 165 attempts) as a team.

Katie Hillman had 15 kills and 17 digs for the Blue Hens.  Erin Layne handed out 26 assists, while Julia Anderson distributed 13 assists.  Chandler Bryant and Daria Robinson recorded five blocks apiece, and Autumn Jenkins tallied 14 digs to go along with four blocks.  Taylor Hollingsworth finished with a match-high 33 digs for the Blue Hens, who outdug the Jaspers 78-69.  As a team, Delaware hit .156 (45-22-147) in the match.

Against George Mason, Manhattan dominated the first set.  The Jaspers took an early 7-3 lead before using a 9-1 rally to turn a 9-6 cushion into an 18-7 advantage.  George Mason scored five of the next seven points to trim the margin to 20-12, but the Jaspers responded with a four-point run of their own to get to set point.  A Kitlar kill finished off the easy 25-13 set win for Manhattan.

There were eight ties and three lead changes in the second set.  George Mason went up early, 7-3, before Manhattan battled all the way back to tie it at 13-13.  After the Patriots scored the next two points to go back in front, a 7-2 Manhattan run gave the Jaspers a 20-17 cushion.  However, George Mason stormed back to take a 24-22 lead.  The Jaspers fought off one set point on a kill by Behrens, but the Patriots claimed the set, 25-23, to even the match.

The Patriots scored the first four points of the third set and led 14-8 before Manhattan went on a 5-0 run to pull within one, 14-13.  George Mason got its lead back to four points at 18-14, but the Jaspers again responded, rallying for 10 of the next 13 points to reach set point.  However, George Mason fought off three Manhattan set points before getting one of its own at 25-24.  That's all the Patriots would need, as they closed out a 26-24 win to pull ahead 2-1 in the match.

Needing to take the fourth set in order to extend the match, Manhattan claimed the first two points.  With the Jaspers leading 6-4, Van Dyk pounded a kill to spark a 6-0 rally that extended the advantage to 12-4.  George Mason got back within four points at 18-14, but a 6-0 Manhattan run brought the Jaspers to set point, and a kill by McGuinness closed out the 25-15 set win, extending the contest into a decisive frame.

Both teams went on extended runs in the fifth set, and it would be tied 10 times.  George Mason opened up a 5-2 lead before Manhattan responded with a 7-1 spurt to go up 9-6.  After the Patriots rallied to take a 12-11 advantage, the teams would trade the next 12 points.  Four times, George Mason got to match point only to have the Jaspers win the next point.  On their fifth opportunity, the Patriots finally closed out the set, 19-17, and the match, 3-2, on a block by Lolande Owokoniran and Tiffany Clarke.

McGuinness slammed 23 kills to go along with 18 digs in the nightcap.  Volovski and Kitlar added 12 kills apiece, while Peric recorded her second double-double of the day with 41 assists and 15 digs.  Yamashiro led the way with 28 digs, Haselhorst contributed 13 digs and Van Dyk collected 10 digs.  The Jaspers outdug George Mason 90-78 and held a 114-98 advantage in total points won.  Manhattan hit a combined .177 (66-32-192) as a team.

Clarke was the only Patriot to reach double-figures in kills with 13.  She also posted eight blocks.  Jessie Greenslade had nine kills, 14 digs and seven blocks, while Owokoniran collected six kills without an error, hitting .600 to go along with 10 blocks.  Meredith Bush added 10 blocks of her own, as George Mason recorded 23 total blocks to Manhattan's two.  Kelly Schaller finished with 19 assists and 22 digs, and Caitlyn Hipsher tallied 15 assists and 13 digs.  Morghan Martin, meanwhile, contributed 17 digs and four aces.  As a team, the Patriots hit .149 (45-20-168).