RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers' Men's Volleyball program (5-10, 3-1 NEC) powered its way past the Knights of FDU (6-7, 0-2 NEC) in straight sets (25-23, 25-20, 25-11) inside Draddy Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Playing at home for the first time since their inaugural match inside Draddy Gymnasium on January 23 vs. Roosevelt, the Jaspers were primed and ready to continue their dominance on their home floor.
- With the Jaspers ahead 14-13 in the first set, the block party got started in front of the Green and White faithful with Wojtek Nowak and Jovan Marjanovic standing tall, before Max Larcheid put two attempts away to give Manhattan a comfortable four-point cushion.
- The Knights brought the Jasper lead to just one before four straight blocks righted the ship, spearheaded by Larcheid again.
- Down the stretch, Jasper miscues made things interesting once again, but ultimately, they took the first set off a service error from FDU.
- In the second set, the Jaspers led the Knights 11-10 midway, before four straight points by the Green and White propelled Manhattan ahead by five.
- The opposition put together four straight points with three kills before the Jaspers recorded the next four of five to claim the second.
- In the third set, the Jaspers continued to lay their foot on the gas pedal by recording eight of the next nine to take a double-digit lead.
- With the Jaspers ahead 17-8, Larcheid and Nowak stood tall to bring the block party back to life. The Green and White continued with their dominance down the stretch with another five straight points, before a service error closed the match.
STATS AND NOTES
- Kai Patchell continued his powerful stretch of play, with another nine kills on 21 attempts, one service ace, five blocks, and four digs for 12.5 points on the day.
- Kasen Owens logged six kills on 19 attempts, while providing a match-high three aces, two blocks, and two digs for 10.5 points.
- Wojtek Nowak posted six kills on 14 attempts for a .214 hitting percentage. Additionally, two set assists, with one service ace, four block assists, and four digs for nine points.
- Jovan Marjanovic registered five kills on 10 attempts, with six blocks for 8.5 points on the day.
- Max Larcheid recorded four kills on six attempts, with one service ace, six blocks, and three digs for eight points.
- The Jaspers led the way with 54 points overall, compared to FDU's 31. The Green and White also logged 35 kills on the afternoon.
- Manhattan posted six aces on the day, while FDU was held with none. Finally, the Jaspers logged 13 blocks, with 31 set assists.
- As a team, the team posted a second set hitting percentage of .444 with 11 ills on 18 attempts with three attempt errors.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS:
Head Coach Chris Schortgen: "I'm proud of our guys for putting together another great team win to close out the FDU series. Drew Blonski ran a great offense today, putting our guys in good scoring positions and keeping the pressure on the defense. As good as our offense was, our defense led the way, which has been a focal point at practices lately. Everyone got in on the block party, which gave us lots of momentum points."
NEXT UP:
The Jaspers return to action next weekend for their final non-conference in the Sunshine State on Saturday, March 14, when the Green and White take on the Buccaneers of Barry University inside the Health and Sports Center for a 6 p.m. opening serve. The contest can be viewed on Sunshine State Conference TV for free.
Follow Manhattan Men's Volleyball on X and Instagram (@ManhattanMVBall).
