BALTIMORE, Md. – The incredible 2023 season for the Manhattanville College women's volleyball team came to a close on Thursday night as the Valiants fell in three sets to Middlebury in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. Manhattanville officially ends the season with a 20-12 record overall.
Making their third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, the Valiants were fittingly led by a player that had been a part of all three postseason berths. Graduate setter
Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro) posted a double-double in her final collegiate match, notching 18 assists and 11 digs. Vital officially exits as one of the greatest players in program history, holding a record 3,368 career assists.
The Valiants were limited to just 24 kills over the course of play. The offensive effort was led by
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) was finished with eight putaways.
Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) finished with five, while
Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) contributed four.
Grace Ballagas (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) had a team-leading 17 digs on the defensive side of the ball. Hernandez finished behind both of her countrymates Ballagas and Vital with seven digs.
The Panthers made an immediate statement to open up play, rattling off the first five points. The lead built to 9-2, with both of Manhattanville's points coming as a result of Middlebury errors. The Valiants would log their first kill of the night from Ruiz to move the score to 9-3. Manhattanville chipped away at the deficit, cutting the lead down to 14-9. The Panthers put an end to the Valiants' momentum by scoring the next eight points to run out to a 22-9 lead. From there, it was a matter of time until Middlebury took the opening set, 25-11.
The teams shared five different tied scores as the second set opened with a 6-6 score. The Panthers notched the next two points to take a lead they would protect the rest of the frame. Middlebury soon after scored four straight to go up 13-8. Manhattanville scored five of the next six to pull back within a single point at 14-13, but once again the Panthers snuffed out the momentum run with five straight and eight of the next nine to take a comfortable 22-14 lead. While the Valiants scored five of the next eight, the scoreboard was not on Manhattanville's side as Middlebury collected set point with a 25-19 win.
With their season hanging in the balance, the Valiants played their best ball of the night in the third set. Manhattanville scored four of the first five points, highlighted by a kill and ace by Hernandez. While the Panthers would rally to tie the set up 5-5, Manhattanville reclaimed a lead with the next three points. The lead stayed on the Valiants' side of the court up to an 11-9 score before the Panthers scored five straight to take a 14-11 advantage. The lead climbed up to five before the Valiants came storming back, scoring eight of the next 11 points to tie the set up at 20-20. Despite Manhattanville's incredible effort to claw back into the set, the Panthers regained the serve on a Valiant attack error and scored the next four points to win the set and the match, 25-20.
Postmatch Press Conference with Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro), Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) and Assistant Coach Cassidy Blagman:
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