Despite breaking out to a lead early on in each match, however, Manhattan fell to both McNeese State (2-0) and Elon (1-2) in the final day of the RMU Sheraton Invitational at Robert Morris. The Jaspers drop to 0-3 on the season.
Match One Highlights:
- McNeese State took the win 4-1 (24-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-14), coming back from a 1-0 deficit.
- Erin Hoener (St. Louis, MO / Incarnate Word) and Menocal led the attack for Manhattan for the second-straight match, each contributing 10 kills. Hoener added five blocks, just one off her career-high of six.
- After contributing four kills against Robert Morris on Friday, freshman Lizzi Brown (Orlando, FL / Bishop Moore) added eight for the Jaspers against McNeese State, as well as seven digs and two blocks.
- Abby Wilde (Parkesberg, PA / Octorora) totaled 22 assists for Manhattan in the setter slot, adding 11 digs.
- Manhattan took the first set of the match 26-24, tying the set at 23 all with a kill from Menocal, which was quickly followed by another from Hoener. After the Cowgirls tied it up at 24 apiece, McNeese committed two errors to give Manhattan the set.
- Down 23-17 in the second, the Jaspers went on a 5-1 run, capitalizing on three consecutive errors by the Cowgirls before McNeese's Regan Stiawalt was able to strike for her team's 25th point. The Cowgirls went on to win the next two sets.
- Stiawalt led all players with 19 kills for McNeese.
- The Jaspers jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Elon in Saturday's second match, but the Phoenix won the next three straight, completing the 3-2 win 23-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-14, 15-9.
- Menocal's 12 kills against Elon bested her previous high of 10, reached last season.
- Wilde also earned a career high in Saturday's match, finishing with 39 assists on 43 team kills.
- Kelly Markowski (Winter Park, FL / Lake Highland Preparatory) set a collegiate best of 10 kills against Elon, her first double-digit kill performance as a Jasper.
- Hoener, Brown and Meagan Miller (Oakville, ON / Oakville Trafalgar) each tallied six blocks against the Phoenix. Hoener tied her career-high, while Miller and Brown both set their collegiate standards. Manhattan held a 13-9 team block advantage for the match.
- Nashally Eleutiza (Orlando, FL / Monroe College) added a team-high 17 digs for Manhattan.
Manhattan will head to Lafayette and Lehigh next weekend for the Crosstown Tournament. The three-match series will start on Friday for the Jaspers as they take on Delaware State at 1:00 p.m., followed by Lafayette at 7:00 p.m.