Sept. 17, 2008

BRONX, N.Y. - In a battle that took five sets to decide, the Lafayette women's volleyball team came out on top of a 3-2 win over Manhattan on Wednesday night. Sophomore Kayly Elmer recorded the team's first double-double of the season with a match-high 21 digs and 15 digs.

Freshmen Ally Taylor and Alana Taylor joined Elmer in double-digit kill totals with 12 and 11, respectively. Megan Carter and Ashton Rossi finished with 26 and 20 assists, respectively, with Rossi also adding 14 digs and three service aces. Alana Taylor led Lafayette with four blocks.

Lafayette dropped the first set 26-24. The Leopards attempted a late comeback after trailing by as much as seven points (17-10). They tied the score at 20 and again at 24 but the Jaspers scored the final two points to secure the win.

The Leopards bounced back to win the second set 25-19. After dropping the first point of the set, Lafayette tied it at one and never again trailed. The team secured the six-point victory after an attacking error by Manhattan's Jen Haggerty to even the match at one apiece.

Manhattan won the third set 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead. Lafayette (4-7) again trailed for most of the match and their second attempted comeback of the night again fell short. The Leopards trailed by four (16-12) midway through the set but tied it at 17-all on a kill by Cara Mulholland. The set remained tied at 21 but the Jaspers scored four of the final five points to take the 25-22 decision.

The back and forth battle continued with Lafayette winning the fourth set by a decisive 25-11 margin. The Leopards never trailed in the set and their 16-point win marked their largest lead of the evening. The set ended with a kill from Elmer.

In the fifth set, Lafayette and Manhattan played yet another back and forth set as both teams saw shares of the lead. It was tied midway through at seven-all after another Mulholland kill. The score was knotted at 11 and Manhattan went ahead after a blocking error by Ally Taylor. Lafayette was down by two (14-12) with Manhattan needing just one point for the victory, but the Leopards scored four straight points and secured the win with a service by Rossi.

The Leopards, in the midst of a three-match road trip, are back on the road on Friday to face Seton Hall at 6 p.m.