TRUMBULL, CT – The Manhattan Jaspers' Men's Volleyball program (2-3, 0-0 NEC) fell to the Pioneers of Sacred Heart (2-2, 0-0 EIVA) in a thrilling five set match (25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 21-23) on Saturday night inside the William H. Pitt Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Less than 24 hours after its emotional inaugural home victory against the Roosevelt Lakers, the Jaspers were back in action against nearby foe, Sacred Heart, in the Nutmeg State.
- Trailing by two to open the match were the Jaspers, but they quickly bounced back with a pair of Kasen Owens kills.
- Manhattan roared back in front by logging seven of the next nine opportunities to take a commanding lead and capitalize on Pioneer mishaps.
- The match of runs continued, as the Pioneers were able to then capture the next three points, before Manhattan grabbed the next three points back to retake a four-point advantage into the second half of the opening stanza.
- The Jaspers fell into a mini rut midway through, where Sacred Heart found its rhythm and eventually took the lead, before Manhattan took advantage of some Pioneer errors, but capitalized on Blake Perkins logging three kills in the next four opportunities to squeak by and go ahead to obtain the first set.
- The first handful of points would allow Manhattan and Sacred Heart to trade points till the 16th point of the second stanza, where the Pioneers found their rhythm and took a stranglehold of the set, before knotting the match at one a piece.
- Both teams traded points till midway in the third set, before the Jaspers were the first to put together back-to-back points with Chase Marston finding some empty space and taking advantage of another Sacred Heart miscue.
- The Green and White tied the set at 16, courtesy of Marston again. Followed by eight of the next ten points heading in the direction of Manhattan to capture the third set.
- Sacred Heart took a commanding lead by tallying seven of the first ten points in the fourth set. The Jaspers then bounced back to tie the game at eight with four consecutive points, with two kills from Marston and Kai Patchell.
- Continuing to record points were the two squads, before Drew Blonski added two kills to bring the deficit back to three. Then, it was Owens who put the team on his back with another two kills of his own.
- In the decisive fifth set, the Jaspers cruised to capturing the first six points of the set, but the Pioneers were able to steer the ship back on course to go in front 10-9.
- Again, trading points was the theme of the contest, especially in the fifth set, which saw kills and errors plague both teams, before the Pioneers eventually put together two consecutive points and four of the final five for the victory 23-21.
STATS AND NOTES
- Sophomore outside hitter Kasen Owens posted a career night with 22 kills on 44 attempts, while adding three set assists, one block, and three digs for 22.5 points.
- Freshman outside hitter Sam Morreale logged a career evening with 13 kills on 30 attempts, with 3 block attempts and five digs to total 14.5 points on the night.
- Junior outside hitter Wojtek Nowak added four kills to his resume on 13 attempts, while logging a career high five service aces, with two blocks and four digs for 10 points.
- Freshman opposite Chase Marston registered eight kills on 15 attempts, while blocking two and supplying five digs for nine points.
- Freshman middle blocker Jovan Marjanovic logged six kills on 13 attempts, with one set assist and one block to total six and a half points.
- Freshman opposite hitter Blake Perkins also added six kills on 13 attempts, while posting three digs for six points.
- Freshman setter Drew Blonski posted a career high 56 set assists, with three kills on five attempts, two blocks, and was one dig away from his first career double-double to total five points on the night.
- The Jaspers won the block battle with eight, compared to seven. The Green and White also posted six and a half more points than its opponent, while leading the kill total with 65, compared to 58.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS
Head Coach Chris Schortgen: "The boys battled hard until the end, but unforced errors from the service line and attacking kept us from finishing the match. Hopefully, this first 5-set experience is beneficial for our growth, but this can't continue if we want to close out sets with match-point opportunities. There were bright spots, and the development is clear, but without the win, we'll just get back to the drawing board."
NEXT UP
The Jaspers embark on their first Midwest trip to take on the #7-ranked AVCA Ramblers of Loyola Chicago on Friday, January 30, beginning at 8 p.m. inside Gentile Arena. The match can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription and on Marquee Sports Network on DirecTV and FuboTV.
Follow Manhattan Men's Volleyball on X and Instagram (@ManhattanMVBall).
