PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College women's volleyball team went toe-to-toe with the top team in the MAC Freedom on Tuesday night and held a lead in all three frames, but DeSales University recorded only two errors in the final two sets as the Bulldogs escaped Kennedy Gym with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-21) win over the Valiants.
 
Manhattanville (12-8, 3-3 MAC Freedom) was in position to win all three sets against the Bulldogs, but DeSales (17-7, 6-0 MAC Freedom) came up with all the big points when needed to clinch first place in the MAC Freedom regular-season standings. The Valiants will have their postseason hopes come down to its final conference match at FDU-Florham on Wednesday, with the team needing a win and the luck of the tiebreaker.
 
Junior Laura LiVolsi (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville) had an excellent night for Manhattanville, recording the match's only double-double with a team-best 11 kills and 12 digs, while freshman Keisha Schutte (Ewa Beach, Hawaii/James Campbell) came one dig short of her own double-double with 30 assists and nine digs. Senior Kerry Mackey (Smithtown, N.Y./Christ the King) also put down 11 kills and freshman Monica Lopez (Caguas, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame) chipped in a match-high 22 digs for the Valiants as well.
 
Noel Kelly led all players with 13 kills for DeSales, while Morghan Shoemaker added 10 kills and Julia Bradford recorded a match-high 33 assists and four aces.
 
Manhattanville came out strong in the opening set, recording seven kills without an error on the way to a 17-11 lead. But the wheels came off after that, as a kill by Gabby Savite` was followed by 11 straight points on Bradford's serve – including four aces and six Valiant errors – that handed the visitors the frame.
 
The Valiants bounced back in the second stanza, using a 6-1 run to open up a 17-15 advantage. But once again, one bad stretch doomed the home team in the frame, as six straight points put DeSales up 21-17 and the Bulldogs were able to close out the set and take a two-set lead. LiVolsi was perfect in the frame to lead Manhattanville, putting down all six of her attacks for kills.
 
Manhattanville again led at about the same point of the third set, as three straight kills from Mackey, freshman Milta Gonzalez (Bronx, N.Y./Preston) and LiVolsi put the Valiants up 16-14. After four straight points gave DeSales a two-point lead, the Valiants battled back to even the score at 20 but the Bulldogs registered five of the final six points to take the set and the match. Sophomore Austen Brauer (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings) led the Valiants with five kills in the final stanza, while Lopez had 13 digs alone in the frame.
 
Manhattanville will travel to Keystone for a non-conference match on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.