JERSEY CITY, NJ-The Saint Peter's volleyball team(4-12, 2-7 MAAC) rallied through five sets to earn a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Manhattan University(1-20, 0-10 MAAC) Saturday afternoon. Senior
Penelope Rivera led the charge tying her season-high of 17 kills and season high of 20.5 points, while junior
Elena Bilhartz added a season-high nine kills with an impressive .500 hitting percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One
The Peacocks came out firing in set one after a service error from Manhattan handed Saint Peter's the first point. Sophomore
Maliyah Labrie notched the first kill to spark an early lead. Back-to-back kills from
Rivera, Labrie, and
Cleopatra Diakou, along with an ace from freshman
Danielle Caligiuri, fueled an explosive 10-8 lead. The Peacocks capitalized on Manhattan's errors and a double block by
Rivera and
Bilhartz to surge to a six-point cushion at 22-16. With Manhattan rallying late, and holding Saint Peter's at set point, freshman
Valeria Pagan Munoz put the set away with a final kill, 25-20.
Set Two
In set two, Manhattan took control early with two quick kills and an ace to go up 3-0. Despite two powerful kills from
Bilhartz that narrowed the gap to 3-2, the Jaspers built on their lead with a three-point run to 13-7.
Diakou and
Caligiuri sparked a Peacock response, bringing the score to within three at 13-10, but Manhattan closed the set on a five-point run, taking it 25-15 to even the match 1-1.
Set Three
Saint Peter's roared back in set three.
Bilhartz and
Rivera were nearly unstoppable at the net, with
Bilhartz connecting on precision shots and
Rivera hammering kills to give the Peacocks a 14-9 edge. Energized by
Pagan Munoz's ace and a kill from sophomore
Karolina Rodriguez, Saint Peter's stretched their lead to 16-10. Manhattan couldn't break the rhythm, powerful kills from
Rivera and
Rodriguez along with a
Rodriguez ace secured the set 25-18, putting Saint Peter's back in the driver's seat.
Set Four
In set four, Manhattan struck first with two kills to take an early 2-0 lead and quickly extended it to 5-1. The Peacocks fought back with back-to-back kills from
Pagan Munoz and a powerful double block by
Rivera and
Rodriguez, closing the gap to 14-11. But Manhattan responded with a strong push, using a solo block to widen their lead to 22-15. Saint Peter's held off set point twice with a Jasper service error and an ace from
Bilhartz, but a final kill from Manhattan closed the set 25-18, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
Set Five
In a hard-fought fifth set, Saint Peter's left nothing to chance.
Labrie opened with two fierce kills, and
Pagan Munoz delivered an ace to set the Peacocks up 3-0. The team then unleashed an explosive seven-point run—highlighted by three aces from
Rodriguez, kills from
Rivera and
Pagan Munoz, and a combined block from
Rivera and
Bilhartz—propelling Saint Peter's to a 14-6 lead. Manhattan battled to stave off match point four times, but
Bilhartz stepped up to drill the final kill, securing a 15-10 set win and a thrilling 3-2 match victory.
Inside the Numbers:
Rivera led the match with 17 kills and 20.5 points
Caligiuri led the Peacocks with 28 assists
Bilhartz swung .500 on the day, with nine kills on 16 attempts
Diakou added 17 assists, and landed both her attack attempts, swinging 1.000 on the day
Labrie added 12 kills, two aces and five digs
Rodriguez tallied four kills, three aces, a solo block and two blocking assists
Pagan Munoz adds eight kills, three aces and 11.5 points
Up Next:
The Saint Peter's Peacocks are back in action tomorrow October 27, to host Iona University at Run Baby Run Arena. First serve is set for 1PM.
For continuing coverage of Saint Peter's University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
