Box Score
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – If the Manhattan College volleyball team wins the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season title, they might look at Saturday's match as a turning point. Siena, a team that had won four straight against the Jaspers, came into Draddy Gymnasium and took the first two sets before Manhattan (16-11, 10-4 MAAC) rallied to post a 20-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-17, 15-12 victory and move within a half-game of the Saints (14-9, 10-3 MAAC) for first place.
There were nine ties and three lead changes in the final set, as neither side was able to build an advantage of more than two points until Manhattan went for three in a row to turn an 8-8 deadlock into an 11-8 lead. Siena captured the next four points to go in front 12-11 before a Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, Hawaii) kill evened the score at 12-12. Behrens and Olyvia Chaltas (Temecula, Calif.) teamed up for a block on the next point, then Milena Janjusevic's (Belgrade, Serbia) serve went untouched for an ace, setting up match point. Chaltas finished off the comeback when she slammed one home to clinch the set, 15-12, and the 3-2 victory, Manhattan's first over Siena since Oct. 26, 2013.
It marked the first time that the Jaspers won after dropping the first two sets since a 3-2 victory at Fairfield on Sept. 21, 2014. Manhattan is now 33-18 in five-set matches under Head Coach Mark Jones.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first set, the Jaspers responded with a 9-4 spurt, getting back-to-back blocks to pull ahead 9-7. However, Siena claimed 15 of the next 21 points to take a 22-15 lead. Manhattan rallied within four at 23-19 before the Saints closed out a 25-20 first-set win.
In the second set, Siena took a 9-5 lead before a block by Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) and Ivana Kostic (Grocka, Serbia) started a 5-2 Manhattan run that cut the Jaspers' deficit to one, 11-10. The Saints countered with a 6-2 spurt, though, to make it 17-12. Kills by Van Dyk and Janjusevic brought the Jaspers within three at 17-14, but the margin would get no closer, as Siena took the second set by a 25-18 count.
Manhattan stormed out of the gate in the third set, opening up a 7-4 advantage. The Saints tied the score at 15-15 before Van Dyk smashed a kill to start a 5-1 rally that put Manhattan in front 20-16. Manhattan got to set point at 24-19, and another Van Dyk kill finished off a 25-21 win for the Jaspers.
Siena jumped in front 5-2 early in the fourth set before a Chaltas kill ignited an 8-1 rally that gave Manhattan a 10-6 lead. After the Saints cut the Jaspers' advantage to 11-10, Manhattan claimed five of the next six points to again open up five-point cushion, 16-11. The margin was four at 18-14 when the Jaspers went on a 6-2 spurt to reach set point, and a Van Dyk kill capped off a 25-17 win that sent the match into a decisive frame.
As an indication of how close the match actually was, Manhattan won 103 total points to Siena's 100 (it was 88-88 after four sets) and held a 60-58 advantage in kills. The Jaspers also outdug the Saints 100-99, while Siena tallied three more blocks (12-9). Manhattan also had an 8-2 edge in service aces, running its national-leading total to 206 for the season.
Janjusevic led the Jaspers with 16 kills and 22 digs, while Van Dyk also recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 19 digs. She added four blocks and two aces. Chaltas had a career-high 11 kills, and Behrens finished with 10 kills and four blocks. Kostic registered five blocks. Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho), meanwhile, notched a double-double with 51 assists and 19 digs. Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) registered 19 digs to go along with two aces. Alyssa Rehrer (Lorton, Va.) contributed 11 digs for Manhattan, which hit .128 (60-33-211) as a team.
Sonja Vasovic tallied 13 kills and six blocks for the Saints. Samantha Pethokoukis added 11 kills and five blocks. Briana Flagg and Christina Monore posted nine kills apiece. Flagg also had 14 digs, and Monroe finished with six blocks. Haley Howell had a double-double with 43 assists and 13 digs. Kalehua Katagiri recorded a match-high 26 digs, while Bobbi Lin Kalama collected 17 digs and Darby Taylor notched 13 digs. As a team, Siena hit .160 (58-26-200) in the match.
The Jaspers conclude their key MAAC weekend on Sunday with a 1 p.m. matchup against Marist (16-8, 9-4 MAAC), which is just a half-game behind Manhattan in the standings. Manhattan will secure a berth in the MAAC Tournament with a win and a loss by either Canisius (at Fairfield) or Niagara (at Quinnipiac).
