Quinnipiac volleyball bounced back Sunday as it defeated the Manhattan Jaspers 3-0 and improved their overall record on the year to 6-14 and their MAAC record to 5-6. 

The energy was high for the Bobcats on Sunday. During warmups, players were vocal, cheering for their teammates and hoping to leave Burt Kahn Court with a win. 

The first set began with Quinnipiac and Manhattan going back and forth, as whenever Quinnipiac would earn points, Manhattan did the same. 

This continued until after the second Quinnipiac timeout in the first set. The Bobcats came out strong going on a 9-5 run against the Jaspers, winning the first set 25-21.

Kills from junior outside hitter Aryanah Diaz and first-year middle blocker Alexandra Tennon helped earn the Bobcats momentum to win the set. 

Quinnipiac just barely held the advantage of kills in the first set with a 12-11 margin, but Manhattan had nine errors compared to Quinnipiac’s six, killing their chance of winning the first set. 

The second set stayed true to the first, as it featured Quinnipiac and Manhattan playing a metaphorical tug of war with each other, exchanging points non-stop up to a 15-15 draw. 

But the spikes coming from senior middle blocker Nicole Legg and senior outside hitter Olga Zampati allowed Quinnipiac to pull ahead, winning the set 25-22.

“When it’s good, it’s really good and it’s exciting and it brings that energy… we just have to have a lot more of them (spikes),” Quinnipiac head coach Kyle Robinson said.

The third set was a roller coaster from the beginning. 

Manhattan jumped out to a 6-1 lead courtesy of service errors from the Bobcats and beating them in close plays at the net. 

After a brief timeout, Quinnipiac began to take pride in its work and tied up the set at 9-9 and continued to gain momentum, eventually going on a 7-4 run leading the Jaspers 16-13.

“Most of our timeouts over the past few weeks, if not months, are about pride,” Robinson said. “Pride for our university, the logo we wear on our chest, pride for our own games, pride for our families.” 

From there, Quinnipiac went on a 9-4 run and won the set 25-17, which won them the match 3-0.

Legg led the team in kills with 12, Diaz led the team in digs with eight, and sophomore setter Chloe Ka’ahanui led the team in assists with 22. 

The Bobcats won the battle at the net today, beating Manhattan in close plays there which helped spur Quinnipiac to the win today.

“It’s a game of momentum,” said Legg. “Getting those close plays at the net impacts the whole team and builds that momentum to control the set.” 

Robinson has reiterated throughout the year the importance of playing and working with pride. On Sunday, Quinnipiac looked to be heading in the right direction of becoming a prideful team. 

The Bobcats will look to keep their momentum going on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Burt Kahn Court as they play MAAC opponent Canisius at 1 p.m.