Riverdale, NY (October 17, 2004)- After being down two games to none, Manhattan climbed back into the match and nearly sent the match into a fifth game against Big East powerhouse Rutgers. However, the Lady Jaspers fell short as Rutgers took the match three games to one. Game scores were 30-20, 30-24, 29-31 and 30-26. Maggie Pfeifer had a team-high 13 kills and Ashley Davis had a match-high 16 digs to lead the way for Manhattan. Lora Yankauskas had a match-high 14 kills for Rutgers.
Rutgers (13-6) cruised in the first game, thanks in large part to a .333 team hitting percentage and five kills from Ashleigh Young. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 10-4 lead, and eventually extended the lead to 22-11, their largest lead of the game. Young eventually closed out the game with a kill at 29-20.
Despite a .255 hitting percentage in the second game, Manhattan (4-18) was unable to grab a lead late in the game. The Lady Jaspers closed to within four points at 26-22 on a kill from Helena Ward, one of her 11 kills on the day. However, Rutgers closed out the match on two Manhattan service errors and took a 2-0 lead in the match.
Game three was an exciting back-and-forth affair, as neither team held more than a two-point lead after Rutgers led 10-7 early. The game featured 13 ties and seven lead changes, as Manhattan fought off match point at 29-28 and scored the last three points of the game to continue the match. Manhattan's defense forced 11 Rutgers attack errors, while the Lady Jaspers made only five errors during the game.
Rutgers pulled out to a 9-3 lead early in the fourth game, but Manhattan again battled back, closing to within three points at 23-20. Manhattan had seized the momentum of the match at that point, but Stephanie Travioli made an off-balance cross-court kill on a ball that appeared to be heading out of her reach to give Rutgers the point, and ignited a 5-0 run that would help the Scarlet Knights put away the match.
The Lady Jaspers will return to the court on Friday, October 22, when they will resume MAAC play against Loyola (MD) at Draddy Gymansium. Game time is 7:00 p.m.