It has been 24 days since Quinnipiac volleyball has come back to Hamden for a home game. The five-game road trip was a grueling one, in which the Bobcats took their first loss of the season to Fairfield on October 6, and recorded no sweeps. The bounce back was due for the Bobcats, with their 3-0 sweep over Manhattan.
The game began with a lot of questions. Outside hitters Ginevra Giovagnoni and Aryanah Diaz hadn’t swung at a ball at home all year. Despite that, the offense tended to develop an overreliance on Giovagnoni at the back end of their road trip. Who else would step up in her stead? And lastly, Manhattan forced a five-game set with Quinnipiac just 10 days ago in their home gym in New York City. Could the Bobcats come back home and clean up the Jaspers? The answer was, of course, yes.
In fact, the very first point of the first set laid the groundwork for the entirety of the game going forward. An ace from sophomore setter Damla Gunes felt like the gunshot at a track race, and Quinnipiac didn’t dare look back. The Manhattan back line looked rattled in the first set, so the Bobcats took full advantage by making it hurt from the service line. And if you know Quinnipiac’s head coach Kyle Robinson, producing quality chances from solid serving is a top priority.
“[After the first game against Manhattan] We just got back to the drawing board and back to work,” Robinson said. “Our service game is important to us, so I think we served pretty well today. We didn’t at their place.”
The first set was utter domination from Giovagnoni, who recorded seven kills in the win. With equal parts power and finesse, Giovagnoni is without a doubt one of the best hitters in the MAAC when she’s hot, and the Jaspers sure felt it. Another player who had a stellar first set was sophomore middle blocker Bailey Brashear. She paired up really well with Gunes, adding seven total kills of her own. On the defensive side she added two blocks as well, effectively cementing her presence.
In the second set, Quinnipiac had trouble gaining momentum at the outset. Manhattan found their first pass, and Quinnipiac looked sloppy to say the least. The Jaspers jumped out to a 10-5 lead on the back of six Quinnipiac errors and three kills from outside hitter Camila Gomez. Thanks to some heroics from Diaz, and six kills in the last ten points of the set, the Bobcats pulled out the set. Diaz thrived in her main position against Manhattan, and expressed what it meant to her to play volleyball the way she likes best.
“It’s always fun to go back to my main position,” Diaz said. “With Ginevra coming back and with me coming back, it brings more of an opportunity for us to compete in our gym and practice and during the games. I think that definitely changed the flow in our game, especially against Manhattan, compared to last time.”
The last set of the game was pretty much a wash. Every hitter was on, and the defense looked solid — epecially junior libero Fa’avae Kinsel Moe, who’s gotten her starting minutes back now that Diaz is hitting outside again. Kinsel Moe looked a bit inconsistent in the first set, but by the second and third she was confidently calling her teammates off balls, and was delivering them to Gunes on a platter. With a few more hard fought hustle plays, and a final ace from Diaz, the game was over.
For the Bobcats, home is where they win. The team loves playing in Hamden, and after spending so much time on the road, they all settled in nicely for their return.
“We love playing here,” Robinson said. “Burt Kahn is dressed up a bit differently than the last time we played. It starts to feel more and more like home. So we love our fans. They’re always great to play in front of and they’re great to work hard for.”
“You know, I just found out that we haven’t lost a set in this gym yet,” said Diaz. “Hopefully we keep it that way. I think it has a lot to do with the people who come out here to support us; it definitely brings a sort of passion that we don’t have anywhere else.”
