RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers' Men's Volleyball program (9-14, 6-4 NEC) took the final inaugural regular season home match against the Red Flash of Saint Francis (PA) University (12-11, 6-2 NEC) in five sets (19-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 15-11) inside Draddy Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Jaspers looked to avenge their loss to the Red Flash on the backend of the series, but were met with an early Saint Francis block party spoiler.
- Midway through the first set, the Green and White brought its deficit to just one, by taking advantage of a Red Flash miscue, before Saint Francis pulled away with a five-point advantage.
- Down the stretch, Kasen Owens slammed home a commanding termination to post the 19th point of the opening set, but it wasn't enough to storm back further.
- Tied at eight in the second set, Drew Blonski set up Wojtek Nowak to alter the seesaw of momentum in favor of the Green and White, to take the lead.
- The Jaspers and Red Flash were tied at 16 for the third knot of the match, before Manhattan went on a run and posted the next six of seven, driven by Kai Patchell's pair of kills to eclipse the 20-point threshold.
- After a valiant effort by the Red Flash down the stretch of the second set, the Jaspers ultimately shut the door with Patchell, combined with miscues, to take the stanza.
- Opening the third set with a commanding six-point lead, the Red Flash took a set-high seven-point lead, posting 13 of the first 19 points.
- The Jaspers found much-needed momentum with five kills in seven of the next nine points to pull within two.
- In the fourth set, the Green and White put together seven of the first ten points, carried largely by Patchell, and more Red Flash miscues.
- Manhattan ultimately doubled up Saint Francis with blocks from Blonski, Nowak, and Larcheid, before Marjanovic joined the frame and added to the Jasper success, forcing a fifth set.
- Aiming for its sixth conference victory, the Jaspers, who opened the deciding set by surrendering the first two points, came storming back with ten of the next 14 points.
- Penultimately, the Red Flash shrank its deficit to as little as two. Still, a service error and a kill from Patchell were the deciding factors for the Green and White securing a much-needed victory and snapping a three-match losing skid in conference play.
STATS AND NOTES
- Kasen Owens paced the Green and White with 18 kills on 31 attempts for a .484 hitting percentage. Owens posted one block and four digs for 18.5 points.
- Kai Patchell logged 15 kills on 35 attempts, with one set assist, one service ace, five blocks, and seven digs for 18.5 points.
- Wojtek Nowak put together a line of nine kills on 26 attempts, two aces, one set assist, 12 digs, and two blocks for 12 points on the afternoon.
- Max Larcheid recorded six kills on 12 attempts for a team-high .500 hitting percentage, with one set assist, eight blocks, and two digs for 10 points.
- Freshman setter Drew Blonski registered five kills on 10 attempts, with 50 set assists, two service aces, three blocks, and seven digs to total 8.5 points.
- Jovan Marjanovic added six kills on 12 attempts, with one set assist, four blocks, and three digs for eight points.
- In the fourth set, the Green and White put together the program's best 16 kills on 22 attempts, and zero errors for a season high .727 hitting percentage.
- Manhattan won the battle in numerous team categories, with 75.5 points overall, five service aces, 11 blocks, and 44 digs. The Jaspers and Red Flash sported 59 kills each and 57 set assists on the day.
NEXT UP:
The Jaspers take a two-week break before concluding the regular season against a fellow inaugural program within the NEC, the Red Hawks of the University of Maryland – Eastern Shore, on Friday, April 17, inside the Hytche Athletic Center beginning at 6 p.m. The contest can be viewed on Delmarva Sports Network with a paid subscription.
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