PURCHASE, N.Y. – History was made on the court of Kennedy Gymnasium on Thursday night as graduate setter
Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro) became the Manhattanville College women's volleyball career assist leader, guiding the Valiants to a three-set sweep of Saint Joseph's Long Island. The victory (25-12, 25-17, 25-12) keeps Manhattanville perfect in Skyline Conference action at 7-0, improving to 12-9 overall.
Entering the night 13 assists shy of becoming the new all-time leader, Vital officially surpassed the record previously held by Megan Quinabo '17 of 3,094 in the final volley of the first set. The Puerto Rico native set up
Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) on the set-winning kill to set her atop the record book, ultimately finishing the night with 31 assists. For good measure, Vital added six kills, three digs and a pair of aces.
Not to get lost in the historic night, the women's volleyball team celebrated Hispanic Heritage Night, honoring the cultures, contributions and history of the Hispanic and Latino communities.
Ruiz led the attack effort with 12 of the team's 43 kills, followed just behind by
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) who finished the contest with 10.
Meghan Wildes (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) added seven kills of her own as she continues to be a dominating presence at the net.
Grace Ballagas' (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) 21 digs led the team's defensive play, while Hernandez posted her sixth double-double of the year with her own 13 digs. Ruiz,
Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) and
Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) each added four digs, with Jennings also leading the way on the service line with five aces.
While the first set was highlighted by Vital's achievement, the Valiants built their way up to set point on the back of multiple two- and three-point runs, climbing out to a 10-4 advantage. The Golden Eagles inched closer at 11-7, but a Hernandez kill started a six-point run to make the score 17-7. With the score 18-10, Manhattanville scored seven of the last nine points of the frame with Vital notching assists on all but one of the Valiant points in the run to etch her name atop the leaderboard and earn a 25-12 opening set win.
After a Hernandez kill and Vital ace put the Valiants up early in the second set, the Golden Eagles rattled off four straight points to take their first lead of the frame. A four-point Manhattanville run returned the lead to the other side of the court, eventually moving to an 8-7 Valiant lead. Sarah Montefusco committed a service error, a momentum swing the Valiants rode to the tune of eight straight points for a 16-7 lead. Saint Joseph's was unable to recover from the streak, only able to pull back within seven before Vital smoked a ball from Ballagas for the set-winner, 25-17.
Another large run for the Vals set the tone for the final set as seven unanswered points put Manhattanville up 12-3. Saint Joseph's was unable to muster a run larger than two points for the entirety of the frame as the Valiants marched towards match point, scoring the final five points of the night. Fittingly, it would be Vital logging the match-winning kill, setting a new season-high in the process.
Up Next
The Valiants are back in action on Tuesday, playing host to Sarah Lawrence at 6 p.m.
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