Sept. 30, 2009
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette volleyball team got back to its winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Manhattan on Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center. The Leopards won 25-21, 31-33, 25-17 and 25-17 and saw two players record double-doubles.
Cara Mulholland led the team with 15 kills and 19 digs while Kayly Elmer added 12 kills and 10 digs. Alana Taylor (13) and Katrina Racibarskas (10) combined for another 23 kills. Ashton Rossi led both squads with 47 assists for Lafayette (8-5).
Manhattan held a slim lead early on in the first set, but the Leopards tied it at 11 and took the lead for good on a Manhattan service error. Lafayette closed out the win with a kill from Racibarskas.
The second set was a nail-biter, but it was Manhattan that squeaked out the 33-31 win. The Leopards jumped out to an early 7-4 advantage but Jaspers came back to knot the score at seven. From that point on, the teams would both see their shares of the lead as there were 11 more ties. The Leopards came back from being down 22-19 to tie it at 24 and the lead went back and forth before Manhattan captured the final two points to tie the match at one-all.
That loss could have caused a letdown from the Leopards, but they responded with a 25-17 win in the third set. They only trailed briefly early on and won on another set-clinching kill from Racibarskas.
Lafayette won the match with another 25-17 victory in the fourth set. The team quickly erased an early 3-1 and took a 4-3 edge on a kill from Taylor. The Leopards never again trailed and put the match away on a Mulholland kill.
Lafayette, in the midst of a six-match homestand, returns to Patriot League play this weekend when the Leopards host Holy Cross on Friday at 7 p.m. and Army on Saturday at 4 p.m.
