PURCHASE, N.Y. – Returning home after a trimatch on the road, the Manhattanville College women's volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep of Saint Joseph's-Brooklyn on Monday night. The win (25-5, 25-11, 25-21) makes the Valiants 16-4 on the year and 7-1 in Skyline play.
 
Returning to the court for the first time since Sept. 23, Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) made an immediate impact with a team-leading 12 kills across her two sets of play. Meghan Wildes (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) had seven putaways, while Zoe Zols (Queens, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) finished third on the night with five. The trio of Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland), Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) and Felicity Hoffert (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) each added four kills in a well-distributed attacking night.
 
Caylee Premoli (White Plains, N.Y./School of the Holy Child) saw play in all three sets and took the role of primary setter on the night with a team-leading 17 assists. Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro) finished with 14, while Grace Ballagas (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) added four assists. Defensively, it was Ballagas leading the way with 13 digs while Ruiz notched eight and Vital added seven. It was a strong night at the net for Wildes, collecting a solo block along with five block assists.
 
The Valiants opened up the first set with the first eight points of the night, setting the immediate tone for how the opening frame would play out. The Bears would finally get on the board as a result of a Manhattanville attack error, but the Valiants responded in suit with an 11-0 run to go ahead 19-1. Another four point run by the Vals put the team on the brink of the opening set, 23-2, before the Bears pieced together their longest run of the frame with three straight points. Manhattanville would take the set shortly after following a Morales kill and a Premoli ace.
 
The second set played out in a similar fashion, as the Valiants opened on a 10-1 run. The Bears would hold Manhattanville from getting away with a sustained run for a while, but with the score 17-8, the Valiants rattled off six straight to once again have the set within reach. The Bears would score three of the next five points, but with Manhattanville's lead, Saint Joseph's could not afford any kind of slip up as the Valiants took the set 25-11 following a service error.
 
Despite Manhattanville dominating for the first two frames, the Bears would control most of set three. Saint Joseph's started hot with a 6-1 run that put the Valiants behind for a while. Manhattanville could not get a run of more than two points together as Saint Joseph's continued to inch their way closer to the set point. The Bears' lead would reach as much as five, eventually taking a 20-17 lead. It was here that the Valiants attack was finally able to get something going, scoring four straight points to take their first lead of the frame. While the Bears pulled back even at 21-21 following a service error, the Valiants ended the night with the final four points to win the match with the 25-21 set.
 
Up Next
The Valiants finish up the Saint Joseph's gauntlet on Wednesday, heading to Long Island at 7 p.m. to take on the Golden Eagles.

VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.  #WeAreValiant #GoValiants