KINGS POINT, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College women's volleyball team split a pair of matches at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday, sweeping Medgar Evers College in the first match before dropping a tough 3-2 decision to the host Mariners to end the day.
 
Sophomore Alissa Primavera (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and freshman Meagan Dattoma (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) led Manhattanville (10-13) with 14 kills apiece on the afternoon. Sophomore Megan Quinabo (Pearl City, Hawaii/Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama) also had 55 assists on the day to give her 1,321 for her career and already move her into second place on the school's all-time list, and senior Alyssa Casino (Rye Brook, N.Y./Maria Regina) led the team with 23 digs to add to her school-record total.
 
Manhattanville was dominant in the first match of the day, posting 27 kills with only four errors as the Valiants swept Medgar Evers, 3-0 (25-9, 25-8, 25-7).
 
Dattoma had an excellent match, putting down eight kills without an error on 15 attempts for a .533 hitting percentage. Senior Amanda Materasso (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) hit .308 with five kills on 13 attempts to go with a match-high five service aces, while Quinabo tallied 26 assists, three aces and three digs.
 
The Valiants were nearly perfect over the final two sets, hitting a stellar .475 in the second and third sets on the way to closing out the match. Manhattanville did not make an error in hitting an even .500 (nine kills on 18 attempts) in the second set, and then nearly matched Medgar Evers' match total with 11 kills on 22 attempts (.455) in the final frame.
 
The competition was a little tougher in the second match of the day, and the Valiants could not hold onto a pair of one-set leads in suffering a disappointing 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 20-25, 25-16, 15-5) defeat to Merchant Marine.
 
Primavera made her presence felt in the contest after seeing limited chances in the opening match, leading the squad with 13 kills on 53 attempts. Freshman Kerry Mackey (Smithtown, N.Y./Christ the King) chipped in eight kills, five digs and three solo blocks, and Quinabo added the team's lone double-double with 29 assists and 15 digs.
 
Manhattanville started strong in the first set, posting 12 kills to mark the most for either side in any set. The team also recorded just four errors and hit .195 in jumping out to a 1-0 lead.
 
The offense disappeared in the second set, with the Valiants registering just four kills, but came back in the third set with 10 more kills that helped the visitors get within a set of a victory. Unfortunately for Manhattanville, the squad managed just eight kills combined in the fourth and fifth frames, compared to 18 for the home team as the Mariners managed to come back and steal the victory.
 
Manhattanville will play single matches for the remainder of the season, beginning with a huge Freedom Conference matchup against Delaware Valley College on Wednesday night at Kennedy Gymnasium. The first serve is set for 7 p.m.