Riverdale, N.Y. (September 23, 2005)--Manhattan Volleyball opened play at the Brown Invitational in Providence, R.I. on Friday afternoon in their first match against a nationally-ranked opponent since their 2003 NCAA Tournament appearance. The Lady Jaspers, however, could not pull off the upset as they fell to 18th-ranked Santa Clara University in three games (17-30, 20-30, 16-30).
Manhattan's
Maggie Pfeifer, who ranked second in the MAAC in kills per game at the start of the week, pounded out 13 kills in defeat. Senior libero
Ashley Davis led the Lady Jaspers defensively with a team-high nine digs.
Despite being down by two points early on in games one and three, Santa Clara controlled most of the match. The Broncos' attack, which was ranked fifth in nation entering the week, proved to be too overpowering for the Lady Jaspers. Led by freshman outside hitter Brittany Lowe's 19 kills, the SCU finished the match with .465 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Kim McGiven and sophomore setter Crystal Matich, who are both amongst the nation's offensive statistical leaders, contributed 8 kills and 28 assists respectively in limited action.
The Lady Jaspers attempt to rebound from the Santa Clara match, when they take on Stony Brook University this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in their second match at the Brown Invitational.
