MAAC Tournament Notes
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RIVERDALE, N.Y. – After winning its final five matches of the regular season, the Manhattan College volleyball team heads to Orlando, Fla., for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Jaspers (20-11, 13-5 MAAC) begin their quest for the third MAAC title in program history at 2 p.m. on Thursday against sixth-seeded Niagara (13-16, 9-9 MAAC) in a quarterfinal match that will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
Manhattan has won 20 matches for the second straight year and equaled a school record with 13 MAAC victories. Senior Malia McGuinness (Kailua, Hawaii) leads the league in kills (3.74 per set) and points (4.08 per set), and her 3.55 digs per set are 10th-most in the conference. Sophomore Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, Hawaii) ranks second in the MAAC with 5.06 digs per set. She has collected 597 digs this season, one shy of Kelsey Huntoon's single-season program record. Yamashiro is also fourth in the league in service aces (0.35 per set). Junior Jade Gray (Boise, Idaho), meanwhile, hands out 8.09 assists per set.
Niagara defeated Quinnipiac 3-1 in its regular season finale on Sunday to secure the No. 6 seed. Senior Amanda Sedore paces the Purple Eagles with 2.86 kills per set, while freshman Nicole Matheis tallies 2.61 kills and 2.85 digs per set and sophomore Alex Stone contributes 2.32 kills and a team-best 1.12 blocks per set. Freshman Alexis Gray distributes 9.49 assists per set, and freshman Rylee Hunt leads Niagara in digs, averaging 4.34 per set.
The Manhattan-Niagara winner moves on to face either Siena (16-14, 14-4 MAAC), Canisius (8-19, 8-10 MAAC) or Quinnipiac (2-29, 0-18 MAAC) in the semifinals at 8 p.m. on Friday, while the loser will play a consolation match at 2 p.m. on Friday. The third place and championship matches will be held on Saturday.
