BRONX, N.Y. – The last-place Manhattan Jaspers stunned Marist, sweeping the Red Foxes, who are in the midst of a complicated push for the playoffs.
Marist received some crucial help in the MAAC playoff picture before Saturday afternoon’s match even began. By the time sophomore outside hitter Fiona VanDyke fired the first serve, both Canisius and Siena lost, dropping their conference records to 8-8.
The Red Foxes had the chance to control their own destiny, but with their 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-16) loss to Manhattan, they are behind the 8-ball heading into the final weekend of the season. Marist needs to win both games against Saint Peter’s (2-14) and Rider (10-5) to have a chance at making the tournament.
With nothing but pride to play for, the Jaspers went out and dominated. Manhattan entered with a 1-14 record in MAAC play, but they are much better than that record indicates. Six of those losses came in five sets, including their first matchup with the Red Foxes.
They made quick work of the Red Foxes in the rematch, outscoring Marist 75-54 over the course of the three-set match. Manhattan drilled 41 kills, converting on 54% of its swings; Marist only mustered three total blocks, which paled in comparison to the Jaspers’ 15.
“We were trying to block more cross [court]… we didn’t line up hitters,” said head coach Sean Byron.
The Jaspers utilized their effective blocking to distance themselves in the first, stuffing six Marist attacks. Despite their poor record, the Jaspers average 2.67 blocks a set, the second-highest mark in the MAAC.
They looked sharp on offense, as well; freshman outside/right-side hitter Emma Francesconi scored five kills in the set, leading Manhattan to an impressive team hitting percentage of .387.
As bad as the first set went for Marist, the second set was even worse.
The Red Foxes completely failed to slow down the Jaspers at the net, who banged 12 kills on a ridiculous .579 hitting percentage. Again, Manhattan blocked six Marist swings, as the Red Foxes matched their 10 kills with nine errors.
The onslaught continued into the third set. No matter how many timeouts and challenges Byron used to talk to his team and attempt to break the Jaspers’ momentum, they ran away with a 25-16 win to sweep the match.
Manhattan drilled 14 kills on 26 swings in the set, ending the match with an unthinkable .461 hitting percentage. Though Francesconi led the team with 13 kills, junior outside/right-side hitter and middle blocker Katie Powers and Abby Morreale stood out as an unstoppable duo; Powers finished the evening with nine kills on 11 swings, and Morreale had eight on 10 attempts, with no errors.
“They are athletic. They jump and hit the ball hard… they’re the most athletic team outside of Fairfield,” said Byron.
Marist now stands a game back of a messy tiebreaker, as five teams fighting for the last two playoff spots are separated by a game-and-a-half with one weekend to play. With chaos bound to ensue, the Red Foxes remain focused on what they can control: going 2-0.
First, they take on Saint Peter’s in Jersey City on Friday at 6 p.m.
Edited by August Lieberman
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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