RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers Women's Volleyball team (2-11, 1-1 Metro), fell to the Bobcats of Quinnipiac (2-11, 1-1 Metro) in four sets (25-23, 31-33, 24-26, 13-25) on Saturday afternoon inside Draddy Gymnasium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- With another excited crowd inside Draddy on homecoming weekend, Katie Powers' kill to give the Jaspers an initial 6-2 lead kept them on their feet.
- Quinnipiac roared back midway through, later taking a 12-11 advantage themselves finished off by back-to-back service aces.
- Hanna Kaczynska took a feed from Ori Briger on consecutive points to put Manhattan back on top 17-13.
- As the tide continued to swing back and forth, the Bobcats went up 22-20 late, but one final service ace from Emma Francesconi turned the opening set in favor of the Green and White.
- The visitors made sure to set the tone coming back out for the second set, doubling up the Jaspers 12-6 through 18 points.
- In typical Manhattan fashion, the hosts fired back at the Bobcats, as an Anna Duncan service ace capped off a 12-3 run, flipping the set on its head at 18-15 Jaspers.
- Kaczynska held this momentum by putting the Green and White within two of another set win at 23-20.
- Quinnipiac refused to say die, later forcing ties at 24 and 25 each.
- 25 was not nearly enough to decide this one, as the two sides knotted up at every number through 31 before the Bobcats took two in a row and the second set.
- Even play kicked off the third set, deadlocked through the first 10 scores.
- Francesconi's kill kept things tight at 9-8 Bobcats, but the third set media timeout saw Quinnipiac holding a 15-11 edge.
- Kaczynska and Powers fired back to put the set back within two at 17-15.
- Helenn Montilla and Emilia Kuzniar teamed up for a block to put Quinnipiac on their toes at 22 apiece.
- Francesconi tied things up again at 24, but two straight from the Bobcats ended the third 26-24.
- The visitors asserted their dominance quickly in the fourth set, taking 13 of the first 17 points to be scored.
- Three consecutive service aces for Abby Morreale put the score back within five at 13-8.
- Quinnipiac took their first timeout at 13-8, and responded with six consecutive scores to take a double-digit margin over the Jaspers.
- With a commanding lead, the Bobcats scored four of the final five to take the set 25-13 along with the match.
STATS AND NOTES
- Senior outside hitter Katie Powers led the way in kills with 11, as Sophomore right side Hanna Kaczynska followed just behind her with 10, the sixth straight with 10 or more for the latter.
- Senior middle blocker Abby Morreale recorded five service aces, a new career-high.
- Sophomore middle blocker Helenn Montilla tied Morreale in blocks, with each of them contributing eight.
- Manhattan hit at their best rate in the opening set, with a .147 clip.
- Junior and Senior setters Ori Briger and Emilia Kuzniar spread the wealth the most, accounting for 35 of the Jaspers' 39 assists.
NEXT UP
Alverson and the Jaspers will wrap up their homestand on Tuesday, September 29, when the Green and White welcome the nearby Gaels from Iona. Action is slated to get underway at 6:00 p.m. and can be streamed live on the Jasper Sports Network.
Follow Manhattan Women's Volleyball on X and Instagram (@JaspersVB).
