KINGS POINT, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College women's volleyball team suffered its first loss of the 2016 season on Wednesday evening, dropping a 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 25-17) contest to the host U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Liebertz Gym.
Manhattanville (4-1) could not get into a groove defensively against Merchant Marine (1-1), as the home team put down 53 kills compared to 39 for the visitors.
Junior
Kerry Mackey (Smithtown, N.Y./Christ the King) led the Valiants with 11 kills and .231 hitting, followed by classmate
Meagan Dattoma (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) with 10 kills and a career-high 13 digs for her first career double-double. Sophomore
Laura LiVolsi (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville) added a team-best and career-high 19 digs and senior
Megan Quinabo (Pearl City, Hawaii/Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama) contributed another double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs.
Dominique Pope led all players with 16 kills for USMMA while Kate Lefler was nearly unstoppable with 13 kills on 16 attempts (.750) for the home team as well.
Manhattanville had 12 kills to Merchant Marine's 10 in the first set, but the Mariners used a 10-0 run midway through the frame to open up a 19-12 lead that the Valiants never recovered from. The second set was the closest of the match with 11 ties and two lead changes, but the visitors managed to even the match after a Mackey kill brought up set point and a USMMA attack error finished it off.
The third set was the pivotal stanza of the match, and it went the Mariners' way to give the home team the edge. The Valiants managed only seven kills in the frame, but were still in the contest at 14-all before USMMA closed on an 11-4 run.
Merchant Marine then jumped on the Valiants early in the fourth set, taking an early 9-3 lead and never looking back on the way to the victory.
Manhattanville will take this weekend off before starting all-important MAC Freedom play next Wednesday, when the Valiants host King's (Pa.) College in a key early season contest starting at 7 p.m. at Kennedy Gym.
