PURCHASE, N.Y. --  The Manhattanville College women's volleyball team remained perfect in conference action on Tuesday night, earning a three-set victory over visiting Sarah Lawrence. The Valiants improve to 13-9 overall with an 8-0 record against the Skyline with the win (25-16, 25-12, 25-14), still having yet to drop a set in conference play.

The Valiants hit .323 in what was a well-rounded team performance. Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy), Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) and Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) each logged a team-leading seven kills as part of the Valiants' 39 total putaways. Meghan Wildes (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) added six kills while Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) ended the night with five.

Grace Ballagas (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) led the defensive effort with 19 digs. Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro) added six, while Ruiz ended her night with five. Vital also continued to build upon her new program record of career assists set last week as she accounted for 32 of the Valiants' 37 set ups.

Manhattanville's service game was on point as the Valiants logged 13 aces, their second-highest total in a match this season. Vital and Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) notched four apiece to lead the charge.

RAPID REACTION: Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) discusses what's been clicking with the team's serves and the depth of the Valiant roster. #WeAreValiant X #BeUnstoppable pic.twitter.com/DK421QPMtd

— Manhattanville College Valiants (@GoValiants) October 18, 2023

The Gryphons took it to the Valiants early, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. A kill by Wildes brought Jennings to the line who dropped in three aces as part of a 5-0 run that completely erased Sarah Lawrence's lead. While the Gryphons were able to get back ahead with three straight points, a six-point Manhattanville swing firmly swung momentum back onto the home team's side of the floor. The Gryphons would be held to just one point while in control of the serve for the rest of the set as the Valiant delivered another big blow with a five-point streak to go ahead 23-14, featuring a pair of aces by Hernandez. Morales brought an end to the set four rallies later with the winning kill, 25-16.

The Valiants hit .500 in the second set to take control. Still, the Gryphons hung tight at the start against the explosive Manhattanville attack. Neither team gained much in the way of separation on the way to a 6-6 score. A Gryphon service error would prove to be the pivotal point as it started a 10-1 Valiant run that saw the home squad erupt to a 16-7 lead. Sarah Lawrence was unable to mount a response as they were held to just five points over the duration of the frame, all one-and-dones, as Aure Obradors logged the winning kill on a 25-12 set.

Manhattanville began their march to the sweep with five straight points to open the third set, highlighted by three straight aces by Vital. The Valiant lead never fell below four for the rest of the way. Manhattanville continued to rack up points with short streaks before piecing together an 8-1 run to go up 20-9. From there, it was smooth sailing for the Vals as a final Gryphon ball handling error spelled an end to the match with a 25-14 third set victory.

Up Next
The Valiants head to SUNY Old Westbury on Thursday night for a Skyline matchup against the Panthers.

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