CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Senior
Megan Quinabo (Pearl City, Hawaii/Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama) recorded 26 assists to reach the 3,000 plateau for her career, but the Valiant attack had trouble getting going as the third-seeded Manhattanville College women's volleyball team fell to second-seeded DeSales University, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-21) in the semifinals of the MAC Freedom Tournament on Wednesday night at Billera Hall.
DeSales (23-12) advances to Saturday's MAC Freedom championship game, where they will take on top-seeded Eastern University. Manhattanville (17-9) will await a possible berth in the ECAC Tournament to see if the team's season will continue.
Quinabo reached yet another milestone in a losing effort, as her fourth assist of the night gave her 3,000 for her career. The senior finished the night with 3,022 career assists, as her total is nearly double the previous program record of 1,516 set by Lu Bono '02. Her 724 assists this season moved her into fourth on the school's single-season list as well.
Junior
Meagan Dattoma (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) had a good match offensively for the Valiants, putting down 10 kills with only one error for a .290 hitting percentage. Classmate
Asia Reid (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Nellie A. Thornton High School) added nine kills and Quinabo added 11 digs for her 10th double-double of the year.
The Valiants struggled all match with the DeSales blocks, as the home team recorded seven blocks and negated multiple other Manhattanville attacks over the course of the night. Gabby Savite` had three blocks in addition to 10 kills and 11 digs for the Bulldogs, while Morghan Shoemaker added a match-high 11 kills as well.
Despite the loss, Manhattanville completes the best MAC Freedom slate in school history, making the conference tournament for the first time in 10 years as the third seed and winning four conference matches for the first time ever.
The team will await the announcement of the field for the ECAC Div. III Women's Volleyball Championships, which should be announced on Monday, to see if the 2016 season will continue.
