MAAC Tournament Notes
2015 MAAC VOLLEYBAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Friday-Sunday, November 20-22, 2015
Loudonville, NY-Alumni Recreation Center (1,000)
Video: MAAC.tv (Friday), ESPN3 (Saturday/Sunday)
Live Stats
MAAC TOURNAMENT
The fourth-seeded Jaspers (19-13) begin their quest for a MAAC championship with a first-round matchup against Rider (16-16), the No. 5 seed. Manhattan qualified for its third straight MAAC Tournament after tying for third place with a 12-6 conference mark. The Jaspers posted the same MAAC record as Siena, but lost the tiebreaker and received the No. 4 seed. The Broncs, meanwhile, went 11-7 in MAAC play. The winner of this match takes on MAAC regular season champion Fairfield (19-9) in Saturday's semifinals.
MANHATTAN BREAKDOWN
Manhattan (19-13) enters its third straight MAAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed after going 12-6 in conference play. The Jaspers, who are looking for their first MAAC title since 2003, swept Quinnipiac in their regular season finale on Sunday afternoon. Manhattan has won three out of four and is 8-3 in its last 11 matches. Senior outside hitter Claire Van Dyk, a Second Team All-MAAC selection, paces the Jaspers with 3.12 kills per set, and she ranks second on the squad with 3.62 digs per set. Junior outside hitter Milena Janjusevic adds 2.97 kills and 3.10 digs per set, while junior libero Allie Yamashiro tallies a team-best 4.25 digs per frame. Junior middle blocker Ivana Kostic has recorded 106 blocks this season and ranks fourth in the MAAC in hitting percentage (.273). Senior setter Jade Gray, a Second Team All-MAAC choice, distributes 9.10 assists per set. As a team, Manhattan leads the nation with 237 service aces and 1.99 aces per set. The Jaspers are also fifth nationally in digs (2040).
HEAD COACH MARK JONES
Mark Jones, the 2010 MAAC Coach of the Year, is in his seventh season at Manhattan. He has led the Jaspers to three straight MAAC Tournament appearances and back-to-back 20-win campaigns. Manhattan has posted 20 wins three times in Jones' tenure (2010, 2013, 2014). One of two coaches in program history with 100 career wins, he picked up his 100th victory against Niagara in the quarterfinals of last season's MAAC Tournament. He's currently second on the Jaspers' all-time wins list with 119 victories. Pete Volkert put together a 132-99 record from 1997-2003, including back-to-back MAAC titles in 2002-03.
BRACKETOLOGY
The winner of today's match moves into the semifinals against top-seeded Fairfield tomorrow at 5 p.m., with the winner of that match facing either Marist, Siena or Niagara for the championship at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Manhattan has reached the semifinals of the MAAC Tournament in each of the past two seasons, falling to the eventual champion both times.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
This is Manhattan's third consecutive MAAC Tournament appearance, marking the first time that the Jaspers have qualified for the event three straight times since a six-year run from 1998-2003. The Jaspers, who have lost in the semifinals in each of the last two years, are looking to reach the championship match for the first time since clinching their second straight MAAC title in 2003.