How We Got Here
The Valiants advanced to their third-consecutive Skyline Conference finals after a 3-0 sweep of second-seeded Farmingdale State on Thursday night. Manhattanville was able to avenge their earlier season trip to Farmingdale, a 3-0 Valiant loss, to punch their ticket to the title match with a sweep of their own. While the Valiants hit just .125, it was enough to get the job done as Manhattanville held off multiple comeback efforts from the Rams all night long.

Alejandra Figueroa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Rosa-Bell) and Felicity Hoffert (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) come off team-leading nine kill games against Farmingdale, while Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) had eight kills along side four aces and 13 digs. Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro) took point as the leading setter with 27 assists, while matching Grace Ballagas (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) for the team lead in digs for the night with 17.

On the other side of the bracket, the reigning Skyline champs are back to defend their title as No. 1 USMMA picked up a 3-0 sweep on Saint Joseph's-Long Island on Thursday. The Mariners racked up their seventh-straight win with the semifinal victory over the Golden Eagles.

Paige Smith did the heavy lifting for USMMA on the offensive front with 16 kills, while Claire Hyun led the team in both assists (26) and digs (13) in the win over Saint Joseph's. Hyun was joined by Brtitany Breland in the leading defensive effort with 13 digs of her own.

Last Time Out
It will be the first meeting between the two teams since their regular season thriller back on Sept. 29 at Kings Point. The Valiants emerged victorious in a five set battle, 3-2. Manhattanville claimed the first two sets of the night before USMMA fought back to take the next two, setting up the deciding fifth set which would be won by the Valiants, 15-8.

In what was their longest match of the season, the Valiants received phenomenal performances all around in the win over the Mariners. Figueroa had a career-high 25 kills, while rookie Loren Hernandez' (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) 18 kills marked a new season high that remains her personal best on the season. Vital's 56 assist performance ranked second in program history for most sets in a single match, while Ballagas' 31 digs became the second highest total of her two year career.

On the other side, Smith and Breland combined for 43 kills, with Smith putting away 23 and Breland ending with 20. Smith would also lead the Mariners with 34 digs in the contest, while Hyun racked up 52 assists. USMMA dominated the ent with 10 blocks to Manhattanville's two, led by eight blocks by Amy Jones.

Team Leaders
Manhattanville