15 games into the season, Marist has finally captured its elusive first win.
In part due to a challenging non-conference schedule, an abundance of key players departing and plenty of new faces in different places, the Red Foxes started the 2024 season on their longest losing streak since 2000, where they lost 20 consecutive games.
“This win was really important,” said sophomore outside hitter Sara Dasic. “We did really good and I think we’re going to keep improving ourselves.”
In a showdown of two squads looking for their first win in conference play, Marist (1-14, 1-4 MAAC Conference) prevailed over the Manhattan Jaspers (1-14, 0-5 MAAC), 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-18, 25-23). For the fifth straight game, Dasic led Marist with double-digit kills, today reaching 19. Graduate student setter Jamison White finished the day with 51 assists, a new best in her five-year collegiate career.
Marist dominated the early going offensively – converting on eight of their first 13 attacks – while Manhattan struggled out of the gates. The Jaspers sat at a paltry .059 hitting percentage at the first media timeout. Marist did not record a block in the set, but Manhattan’s offensive woes came from multiple swings into the net and out-of-bounds, as well as spirited play in Marist’s back-row.
Sophomore libero Katherine Thompson anchored Marist’s defense, making diving digs on multiple occasions to keep points alive. Thompson also added an ace in the first set of action.
After scoring six of the set’s first seven points, the Red Foxes never gave up their lead. Manhattan chipped away, eventually tying the game on a few occasions, even as late as 23-23. Manhattan junior setter Sarah Emmons served out, giving Marist a set-point opportunity. Jamison White capitalized, acing Manhattan to win the first set for the Red Foxes.
Hoping to even the match up at a set apiece, the Jaspers played much more aggressively in the second set. Manhattan served a whopping six aces, but it came at a cost, missing four serves in the process.
The added aggression paid off, as the Jaspers continuously held the lead throughout most of the set. Trailing by two points, freshman outside hitter Taylor Miller hammered home three consecutive kills to swing the set in Marist’s favor, giving them a 19-18 lead.
Manhattan head coach Mauro Miletic called a timeout, halting Marist’s momentum. The Jaspers stormed back to take the lead in the ensuing points, eventually winning the set courtesy of a kill from sophomore middle blocker Chloe Anderson.
Marist opened the third set with a massive sense of urgency; the Red Foxes looked dominant for the first time in the season. Miller, Dasic and freshman middle hitter Sarah Bumstead did the heavy lifting for the Marist offense, combining for 12 kills.
Marist at one point led by double digits, up 20-10, five points away from winning the set. The Red Foxes – on the other end of countless blowout sets in their non-conference season – had stretched out to their largest lead.
“I was trying to keep my emotions steady,” senior middle hitter Alyssa White said.
Before Marist could take the set, Manhattan showed some fight by winning eight of 11 points. Eventually, the Red Foxes won the set 25-18 when freshman outside hitter Fiona VanDyke tipped her attack into the antenna for a set-ending error.
Like the previous set, Marist started the fourth on the attack, quickly reaching a comfortable lead. Manhattan hung closer this time, not letting the set get too far out of hand.
Holding a five-point advantage at 21-16, only four points away from their first win, the Jaspers quickly rattled off two points. Junior defensive specialist Teresa Garza aced Thompson, prompting a Marist timeout, but Manhattan won the following two points to inch the deficit to one.
Dasic stopped the run with a kill to give Marist much-needed breathing room. The Jaspers would not go away, as they matched each Marist point until the score read 24-23. There, Byron called his final timeout.
“I didn’t want it to get to 24-24,” said Byron. “All of the sudden if it gets to 24-24, everyone gets all tight.”
“He was like… ’we have to keep fighting,’” added Dasic.
On their second match point of the season, Miller put the Red Foxes in the win column with her 16th kill of the afternoon.
“Before the match, the team that was in eighth place only had one win, said Byron. “This puts us in the mix. We’re just trying to get in the playoffs, we’re not trying to win the league at this point.”
Now that the Red Foxes have finally gotten over the hump, winning their first game, they can start to look ahead to a possible playoff push. Marist sits one game out of the eight-team playoff picture with a little over a month remaining in the season.
The Red Foxes will aim to parlay this first win into a winning streak next weekend when they travel to New Jersey to take on Rider and Saint Peters. First up is the Broncs; Marist and Rider will face off next Saturday at 1 p.m.
Edited by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo by Ricky Torres
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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