BABSON PARK, Mass. – The Manhattanville College women's volleyball team bounced back in a big way Saturday, Aug. 31, with a pair of three-set victories at the Babson Tournament, hosted by Babson College. The Valiants defeated the University of Maine at Presque Isle 25-9, 25-13, 25-12, and followed up with a 25-16, 25-20, 25-20, win over Suffolk University.

Manhattanville (2-1) began by holding the Owls (0-3) to a -.152 hitting percentage and dominating UMPI in every facet of the match. In the first set, the Valiants fell behind 6-3 but then ran off the next nine points to take a 15-6 lead en-route to the 25-9 win – they finished the set with another 9-0 run as well. Sets two and three were a little more back and forth but Manhattanville stood strong to pick up its first victory of the 2019 campaign.

Highlights vs. Maine at Presque Isle:

• Senior outside Austen Brauer (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings) led all players with nine kills on 18 swings to hit .500.
• Rookie middle Hannah Pena notched five kills and added four total blocks.
• Freshman right-side Felicity Hoffert (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) finished with five kills and four assisted blocks.
• Sophomore Alejandra Figueroa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Rosa-Bell) added seven digs, four kills and a pair of aces.
• Rookie Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro) and junior Rosie DeBellis (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) combined for 21 assists (13 for Vital), while the freshman added nine digs.
• First-year libero Geena Torres (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush) led all players with 13 digs to go with five helpers.

The Valiants, still winning in three, had a tougher challenge from the Rams (1-1). Despite that, Brauer became the first member of the Crimson and White to notch double-digit kills this season with her match-high-tying 10. The first set was tight as the two squads were knotted at 11-11 before Manhattanville got out to a 17-13 lead to force a Suffolk timeout. That didn't help the Rams much as the Valiants took eight of the next 10 points to win the set. The squad actually handled the second and third sets much easier, but late runs in each by Suffolk made it interesting. Nevertheless, Manhattanville was able to close both out to complete the three-set sweep.

Highlights vs. Suffolk:

• The Valiants went with two starting setters this match and both DeBellis (13 assists, 10 digs) and Vital (14 assists, 10 digs) recorded their first-career double-doubles. The rookie also had five kills.
• Torres continued to backstop the defense and had a team-high 15 digs to go with a match-best-tying three aces.
• Pena and Figueroa each finished with seven kills. Pena got hers on 14 swings with one error for a .429 hitting percentage, while Figueroa added nine digs and a was the other player to notch three aces.
• Pena led all player with four total blocks, while Brauer (three assisted), Vital (two assisted) and sophomore right-side Emma Dronzek (Yonkers, N.Y./Sacred Heart) (two assisted) also got in on the party.

Manhattanville will return to the court for its 2019 home-opener this Wednesday night, Sept. 4, at the Kennedy Gymnasium in Purchase, N.Y. The Valiants will host Moravian College in a 7:00 p.m. start.