The Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team steamrolled past the Manhattan Jaspers this Sunday in a match that ended in a three-set sweep, helping the Bobcats simultaneously secure their first sweep and home victory of the season. At no point throughout the game did Quinnipiac ever trail their opposition.

The match’s third set was the closest of the three, with Manhattan creeping within two points of Quinnipiac’s score following a serve from first-year Bobcat Giorgia Donghi that sailed out of bounds midway through the set. Quinnipiac took the set and, in turn, the victory after outsourcing the Jaspers 25-20 in that final round.

For coach Kyle Robinson, the thrill of achieving his first home victory of the season was superseded by an overarching concern about the state of women’s volleyball in the MAAC conference.

“[Manhattan’s] situation is a little bit disheartening for women’s volleyball in general and for the level of the MAAC,” Robinson said about the Jaspers. “I think it’s sad what they’re going through.”

The Jaspers’ season thus far has been one filled with ample hurdles. The organization upended the entirety of its coaching staff last year following an underwhelming 2-20 campaign, welcoming in first-year coaches Mauro Miletic and assistant Sara Atai to kick off the new season.

The team suited up for Sunday’s match with only six available players despite having 13 players listed on their roster. The reason for their short-handedness was unknown by coach Robinson and remains undisclosed.

“We haven’t spoken about it. [Miletic] and I don’t really know each other,” Robinson said.

For Manhattan, the 2021-22 season has followed a similar trend as years past. Sunday’s loss drops the teams’ current record to 1-16 and extends its losing streak to six consecutive games. The Jaspers’ sole victory this season came on Sept. 24  against Saint Peter’s, the only team in the MAAC that has remained winless over a month into the season. 

“This was a match that didn’t need a lot of my voice in it. It needed a lot more of their heart and their desire to win this match and do it well,” Robinson said, referring to his players.

Coach Robinson benched junior middle blocker Lexi Morse for the entirety of the match and limited the minutes of middle blocker Nicole Legg as the match progressed, instead opting to utilize the depth of his roster to sustain the health of the team’s veteran talent.

The less competitive nature of the game offered many of Quinnipiac’s six first-year players a newfound window of opportunity. Freshman middle blocker Milena Martinon recorded a career-high eight blocks in the contest, only trailing sophomore blocker Alexandra Tennon’s 10.

“I think that for me it was a great opportunity to show my work, to show that coach can trust me,” Martinon said.

First-year talents Bailey Brashear and Giorgia Donghi led Quinnipiac in blocks, each recording two apiece. Sunday’s victory marked the first home win of both players’ budding collegiate careers.

“We were super excited to get a win, especially at home,” Brashear said. “It would’ve been nice [to get it] Wednesday or Saturday when we had really big crowds, but it’s good to have that under our belts especially as first-years.”

After being on the wrong side of five sweeps this season thus far, Sunday’s victory marks the first of which they can claim as their own. 

The Bobcats will enjoy the last of their four consecutive home games against Siena on Wednesday, Oct. 12.