RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers Women's Volleyball team (4-14, 3-4 Metro), in another dramatic affair inside Draddy Gymnasium, came out with the win against the Golden Griffins of Canisius (2-15, 1-6 Metro) in five sets (21-25, 25-21, 26-28, 25-21, 16-14) on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Back and forth defined the early portions of the first set, with neither side going up more than two through the first 22 points.
- An attack error from the Golden Griffins ended that streak, giving a 13-10 edge to Manhattan.
- That trend did not continue, as Canisius took their largest lead of four at 19-15 after a kill from Azoria Davis.
- Back-to-back kills from Emma Francesconi and Katie Powers put the Green and White back within one at 21-20, but the visitors held strong to take the first set.
- More of the same continued to start the second set, tying at points four through six.
- Canisius eventually stretched out a margin of five at 12-7 midway through.
- Six straight scores from the Jaspers put the hosts back into the lead, which included three service aces from Ori Briger.
- A dual block from Helenn Montilla and Hanna Kaczynska gave Manhattan a five-point edge of their own at 22-17.
- Two kills from Kaczynska over the final three points was enough to cement the second set in favor of the home team, tying the match at one set apiece.
- Manhattan scored seven of the first 10 in the third set, finished off by a dual block from Abby Morreale and Powers.
- Three straight kills from Powers gave the Green and White a 18-12 advantage, their largest of the set.
- Once leading 19-13, Canisius ripped off a 9-3 run to tie at 22.
- Later knotting up at 24, 25, and 26, the final three were scored by the visitors to give the Golden Griffins a two sets to one lead.
- The Jaspers scored three consecutive midway through the fourth set, going up 13-9.
- Canisius scored five of the next six, evening up the fourth at 14-all.
- Knotting up at 14 through 19, the Green and White scored three straight including two kills in a row from Mikalah Curran.
- On a 24-22 lead, a service error from the road team sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
- Through eight points, the two teams deadlocked at four each.
- Morreale's kill trimmed the Manhattan deficit to 9-8, before Canisius scored five out of the next seven, going up 14-10.
- With four match points for the Golden Griffins, the Jaspers rejected each and every one, with two straight attack errors tying up the fifth at 14-all.
- Continuing their streak, one final error became the sixth straight score for Manhattan, securing the theatrical five-set win over Canisius.
STATS AND NOTES
- Senior outside hitter Katie Powers set a new career-high with 24 kills, her first 20+ outing of her career as well.
- Senior middle blocker Abby Morreale blocked six separate attacks, the most amongst her teammates.
- Junior setter Ori Briger served up four service aces.
- Manhattan hit at their best rate in the fourth set, with a .375 clip.
- Junior and Senior setters Ori Briger and Emilia Kuzniar spread the wealth the most, accounting for 56 of the Jaspers' 64 assists.
NEXT UP
Head Coach Brooke Alverson and the Jaspers will continue go back on the road starting on Friday, October 16 against the Peacocks from Saint Peter's. Action from Jersey City is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. and can be streamed live on Peacocks Digital Network.
Follow Manhattan Women's Volleyball on X and Instagram (@JaspersVB).
