Jersey City, N.J. (November 1, 2005)--Despite registering a better hitting percentage than its opponent for the fifth consecutive match, Manhattan Volleyball fell to MAAC foe Saint Peter's College in three games (26-30, 26-30, 30-32) on Tuesday night in Jersey City, N.J. The loss drops the Lady Jaspers to 3-2 in MAAC play, while Saint Peter's improves to 3-2 in the conference.
Manhattan senior middle hitter Maggie Pfeifer recorded a match-high 16 kills and a .387 attack percentage. The Lady Jaspers also had the match leader in digs, as the senior libero recorded 17 on the night, but they were unable to prevail.
Manhattan fell behind early in games one and three, the two contests in which the Lady Jaspers wound up out-hitting the Peahens. After trailing 14-7 at one point in game one, the Lady J's rallied to pull even at 20, but Saint Peter's answered with a 5-0 run en route to the victory.
The Lady Jaspers jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second frame, but Saint Peter's battled back to take a 14-11 lead by outscoring Manhattan 13-6 over that span. Like game one, however, the Lady J's would pull even again at 20, before the Peahens regained control with a 6-2 spurt.
In the third game, Manhattan overcame a 17-11 to take a 22-18 advantage. Pfeifer notched four kills during the 11-1 run, while freshman outside hitter Andrea Reiff recorded three. The Peahens stormed back, and with the help of three Jasper service errors down the stretch, earned the sweep.
The service statistics are the only spots where Manhattan's numbers differ significantly from those of Saint Peter's. The Lady Jaspers committed ten service errors to the Peahens' four, while Saint Peter's notched nine aces to Manhattan's five.
Manhattan continues to battle for a MAAC Tournament berth this weekend, as the Lady Jaspers welcome Fairfield to Draddy Gym on Saturday, and then receive a visit from Iona on Sunday. Both matches begin at 2:00 p.m.