NEWARK, NJ – The Manhattan Jaspers' Men's Volleyball program (2-9, 0-0 NEC) narrowly dropped the five set thrilling match (20-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 11-15) to No. 19 Highlanders of NJIT (10-5, 4-0 EIVA) inside the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness & Events Center on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Facing its fourth-ranked opponent to open the program, the Jaspers were looking to earn their first ranked victory in their short history on the other side of the River.
- Through the first 12 points, both the Jaspers and Highlanders traded buckets until the latter took a four-point lead off a pair of kills and a service ace.
- Four of the next five points were awarded to the Green and White off three miscues by the Highlanders to pull the deficit within one.
- The match of scoring runs continued with the Highlanders logging the next five of six, before Manhattan registered the next seven of eight to tie the game at 17.
- After the Jaspers surrendered the next three to NJIT, Manhattan was able to then tie the match at 20, before the Highlanders scored the next five to close out the first set.
- Manhattan quickly responded with three of the first four to open the second set, before both teams traded points again midway through.
- With the Jaspers trailing by three, Kasen Owens and Nowak sparked the Green and White to capture four of the last five points in the set.
- In the third set, both teams traded points until the Jaspers went ahead 14-13 on a Highlander miscue, then NJIT found its rhythm and added six of the next seven.
- Manhattan then battled back by posting five of the next six to tie the set at 20, before Sam Morreale put his team in front 22-21. In the final three points, it was NJIT who supplied Manhattan with three consecutive miscues and handed the Jaspers their first set win of the day.
- In the fourth set, the Jaspers, once again, traded points with the Highlanders before the opponents' errors allowed the Green and White to mix its own offense into a six-point lead.
- Nowak and Larcheid combined for the final two points of the set to force a fifth.
- After the Jaspers fell to an eight-point deficit early, Nowak did everything he could to keep his team alive, bringing the margin down to as little as three, but it was not enough, as the Jaspers fell by four points in the tiebreaker.
STATS AND NOTES
- Wojtek Nowak led the Jaspers with a game-high 14 kills on 32 attempts for a .313 hitting percentage, with two set assists, a match-high three service aces, two blocks, and four digs for 18 points.
- Jovan Marjanovic logged nine kills on 18 attempts for a team-high .333 hitting percentage with one set assist, five blocks, and three digs to total 12 points.
- Kai Patchell continued his fantastic stretch with another eight kills on 21 attempts, with four blocks and five digs for 10 points.
- Drew Blonski registered two kills on 10 attempts with 38 set assists, with one service ace, six blocks, and seven digs for 6.5 points on the night.
- Sam Morreale posted six kills on 12 attempts, with one block, and two digs for 6.5 points.
- The Jaspers posted 13 blocks, compared to the Highlanders' nine, while both teams posted six aces each.
NEXT UP:
The Jaspers open conference play for the first time in program history by traveling to Western New York to take on the Wildcats of Daemen University on Friday and Saturday, February 27 and 28, for 6 p.m. and 2 p.m. opening serves, respectively, inside Lumsden Gymnasium. The contests can be viewed for free on NEC Front Row.
Follow Manhattan Men's Volleyball on X and Instagram (@ManhattanMVBall).
