Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WAYNE, N.J. – Freshman Alissa Primavera (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) led the way with 24 kills as the Manhattanville women's volleyball team battled back to earn a hard-fought split at the William Paterson Tri-Match on Saturday afternoon. The Valiants swept Farmingdale State, 3-0 (25-23, 25-6, 25-17), after falling to the host Pioneers by the same 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 26-24) score.

Primavera had a very strong day for Manhattanville, hitting .227 for the day with 24 kills and only nine errors. Senior Susy Camaj (Lagrangeville, N.Y./Millbrook) added 15 kills and classmate Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Sask./Craik) chipped in 12 of her own on .226 hitting to help the Valiants, while freshman Megan Quinabo (Pearl City, Hawaii/Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama) had 42 assists in six sets.

After a tough loss in the first match of the day, Manhattanville came back strong in its second contest, sweeping Farmingdale State in three sets to earn a split.

Primavera and Camaj tied for the match-high with 11 kills apiece in the win. Quinabo led all players with a season-high 23 assists and junior Alyssa Casino (Rye Brook, N.Y./Maria Regina) dug out a team-leading eight balls as well.

The Valiants hung tough in the opening set, coming from behind late to grab a lead. The Rams led almost the entire way, leading by as many as six points and still looking good up 17-12, but Manhattanville came back with an 8-3 run that knotted the score at 20. The teams traded points to keep the set tied at 23 before a Primavera kill gave the Valiants their first lead since 6-4. Taylor followed with an ace on set point to put the squad up a set.

The second set was all Manhattanville, as the Valiants ceded two of the first three points and then roared back to take 19 of the next 21. Camaj led the squad with six kills in the frame, as Farmingdale State never had a chance to even the match.

The third set started off evenly, before Manhattanville made the first run of the frame with an 8-1 run that turned a 5-3 deficit into an 11-6 lead. The Valiants then were able to keep Farmingdale State from making any runs of their own, consistently keeping the advantage between two and five points. With the lead still three at 18-15, Manhattanville strung together five straight points and seven of the last nine to close out the Rams and earn a split on the day.

Despite a match-high 13 kills from Primavera, Manhattanville could not overcome a strong William Paterson attack in its first match, falling in straight sets. Primavera had nearly half of the team's attempts in the match and hit .156 with 13 kills on 45 attacks. Taylor added seven kills, while Quinabo had a double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs.

The Valiants started the match strong, opening the first set with a 12-7 lead, before the Pioneers used a 7-0 run to regain the lead and followed that up soon after with an 8-1 spurt to take full control.

The second set started in exactly the opposite fashion, as William Paterson scored the first nine points of the stanza. Manhattanville did not roll over, however, scoring nine of the next 11 points, but five straight Pioneer points gave the home team a seven-point edge and allowed them to take the set.

The third set finally saw some back and forth action, with the teams splitting the first 12 points of the frame. The visitors went on an 8-1 run helped by three Primavera kills and two aces by Camaj to seemingly take control, only to have WPU follow with a 10-1 run of its own to go up 17-15. The teams continued to trade points, tying the score at 22, 23 and 24, before Manhattanville staved off one match point at 23-24 on a Pioneer error. But the team could not hold off the home team, as a kill and an attack error closed out the match in favor of William Paterson.

Manhattanville (4-2) will return to the court on Wednesday, as the Valiants travel to Sarah Lawrence for a non-conference matchup starting at 7 p.m.