NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Following a tight first two sets, the Valiants ran away with the third and picked up a 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-9) sweep over Skyline Conference foe Mount Saint Mary College on Tuesday night, Oct. 15, as the Manhattanville College women's volleyball team remains atop the conference standings as the lone unbeaten among the 12 teams.
 
The Crimson and White (17-5, 6-0 Skyline) were led once again by outside hitters senior Austen Brauer (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings) and sophomore Alejandra Figueroa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Rosa-Bell). Brauer – the reigning Skyline Player of the Week – hit .361 with a match-best 18 kills (five errors) on 36 swings, while Figueroa finished with 12 kills and two errors on 30 swings (.333) and was just two digs shy of a double-double with eight.
 
Four-time conference Rookie of the Week, freshman setter Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro) continued her strong first season with a nice performance against the Knights (7-15, 2-4 Skyline). The Puerto Rico native now has 15 double-doubles following her team-high 28 assists and match-best 15 digs to go with three kills and an ace. Fellow first-year Valiant Geena Torres (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush) contributed much from her libero spot as well, finishing with 10 digs, eight assists and a kill – just her second of the season.
 
The first set started out in Mt. St. Mary's favor as the home team jumped out to a 13-7 lead, forcing a Manhattanville timeout by head coach Amanda Alayon. She recharged her squad during the break and the Valiants proceeded to go on a run of their own and eventually tie it at 18-18 and force a Knights' timeout. The teams went back and forth and the Crimson and White actually had a 24-20 lead, but MSMC would not back down. Eventually, with Manhattanville up 24-23 and on its third set point, Vital was able to set Figueroa up for the kill to give the Valiants the 25-23 win and the early 1-0 match advantage.
 
Set number two was even closer, and neither team led by more than a four points throughout. Back and forth they went before Manhattanville took a 23-22 lead following an ace from sophomore defensive specialist Emily Gonzalez (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley), forcing a home timeout. Mount Saint Mary picked up back-to-back kills out of the break and it was then the Valiants who took a timeout. Trailing 24-23, Figueroa once again notched a momentum-swinging kill, followed by a pair of Knights' errors to make it 26-24 in the set, and 2-0 in the match in favor of the Valiants.
 
The third and final set was never in doubt for the road squad as they came away with the 16-point set and 3-0 match victory.
 
Highlights:

• Gonzalez finished with a season-best nine digs to go with two aces and an assist.
• Rookie setter Caylee Premoli (White Plains, N.Y./School of the Holy Child) finished with three digs, two aces and an assist.
• Freshman middle Hannah Pena (Goshen, N.Y./Goshen) notched a pair of blocks and four kills, while senior hitter Marissa Shamansky (Woodbury, Conn./Henry Abbott Tech) played all three sets and chipped in a pair of blocks.

The squad will return to the court for its penultimate home Skyline regular-season match of the year later this week when Farmingdale State College, currently 4-2 in conference play and in a three-way tie for fifth place, comes to Purchase, N.Y. First-serve on Thursday night, Oct. 17, between the Valiants and Rams is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Kennedy Gymnasium. Manhattanville has won its last four meetings against Farmingdale State, most recently in 2017, and owns the 6-3 all-time advantage.