AMHERST, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers' Men's Volleyball program (3-10, 1-1 NEC) was edged by the Wildcats of Daemen University (7-8, 1-1 NEC) in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 21-25, 21-25) inside Lumsden Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After the Jaspers posted their inaugural conference victory over the reigning NEC champion, Daemen Wildcats, just 24 hours ago, the Green and White looked to pack on the wins over their newest conference foe.
- With the match tied at 14, it was Kasen Owens who found the upper corner on a masterful setup from Drew Blonski for the go-ahead point.
- The Jaspers surrendered four of the next five before Wojtek Nowak tied the match at 19 on a set from Owens, but would fall in the first set, with Daemen possessing six of the next seven.
- In the second set, tied at nine, the Jaspers supplied a pair of blocks from Jovan Marjanovic in the middle to go ahead by two.
- Ahead by as much as four, Kai Patchell added to the Green and White's lead with a towering kill to post the team's 19th point.
- With the Jaspers ahead by four and holding four set points, the Wildcats added two quick points to make things interesting, but Nowak put any doubters to rest by capturing the elusive set point to split the match one set apiece.
- In the third set, the Jaspers fell behind by as much as eight before going on a run of posting eight of the following 11, to shrink their deficit to as little as three.
- The Jaspers tied the fourth set at nine, before Owens and Nowak propelled the Green and White to three straight points with a kill and ace, respectively.
- Continuing to battle through adversity were the Jaspers, who fell into a four-point hole down the stretch before Marjanovic jump-started the comeback, but were unable to move the needle any further, as the Wildcats split the series.
STATS AND NOTES
- Wojtek Nowak tallied a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs, with 28 attempts for a .321 hitting percentage. Nowak added three set assists and two service aces for 15 points.
- Kai Patchell logged 11 kills on 34 attempts, with two blocks and two digs for 12.5 points on the day.
- Kasen Owens added 10 kills on 22 attempts for a .318 hitting percentage, with two set assists, one block, and six digs to total 10.5 points.
- Jovan Marjanovic registered nine kills on 16 attempts for a team-high .375 hitting percentage, with two blocks for 10 points.
NEXT UP:
The Jaspers return to the metro area for a home-and-home series against the Knights of FDU, starting on Friday, March 6, inside the Bogota Savings Bank Center, beginning at 7 p.m. The contest can be viewed on NEC Front Row for free.
Follow Manhattan Men's Volleyball on X and Instagram (@ManhattanMVBall).
