PURCHASE, N.Y. – It was a celebratory Saturday afternoon inside Kennedy Gymnasium as the Manhattanville College women's volleyball team notched a three-set victory over visiting Baruch. The Valiants improve to 7-8 on the season with the win (25-17, 25-8, 25-18).
Beyond the excitement on the court, there was plenty of elation to go around the building as the team raised their 2022 Skyline Conference Championship banner prior to the match. The members of the championship-winning team from the current roster were joined by alumnus
Hannah Pena (Goshen, N.Y./Goshen) '23 and Manhattanville College President Dr. Frank Sanchez to hoist the banner up onto the walls of Kennedy to forever enshrine the team's accomplishment.
Following the celebration, there was volleyball to be played. The Valiants logged their third-consecutive 3-0 victory on the back of 42 kills, their second-highest total in a three set match this season.
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) and
Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) combined for 25 of the team's putaways, with the sophomore Hernandez notching 14 and the junior Ruiz earning 11, her first match in double-figures since Sept. 8.
Meghan Wildes (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) added six kills while
Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) notched five.
Grace Ballagas (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) was once again the team's defensive leader with 21 digs, her fifth match this season eclipsing 20. She now holds 997 digs for her career, knocking on the door of becoming the ninth member of the program's 1,000 dig club.
Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro) added six digs while the trio of Hernandez, Ruiz and
Alana Rivera (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) each finished the match with five.
Vital accounted for 34 of the team's 39 total assists in the victory, adding a pair of kills and two block assists. Ballagas earned a pair of helpers, while Rivera,
Alyssa Bucci (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook High School) and
Nina Melchiorri (Belle Harbor, N.Y./Scholars' Academy) each ended the game with one assist.
After a back-and-forth start to the opening set that saw the Bearcats take a 6-4 lead, Manhattanville went on the offensive with seven straight points. In the run,
Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) notched three-straight service aces to spot the Valiants their largest lead of the early going. The Valiant lead never fell back below three as Manhattanville used a series of short runs to climb their way up towards 25. Leading 17-13, the Valiants earned the set win on an 8-4 run, claiming the opening frame 25-17.
Manhattanville hit a match-best .393 while the Bearcats struggled to the tune of a -0.25 attacking percentage in the second set. After an opening attack error put Baruch on the board with the first point, the Valiants rattled off nine straight points to seize control of the set. Vital earned three consecutive service aces as part of the run. Baruch scored just once while serving for the rest of the set. The Valiants raced towards set point as the lead swelled to 23-8. A block by
Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) and Vital earned the serve back for the Valiants before Hernandez notched the winning kill.
With the two set advantage, the Valiants were able to complete the sweep after gaining some distance with a five-point run to open up a 9-3 advantage. Baruch did not go away quietly, pulling back to within three further down the line at a 20-17 Manhattanville lead. With the victory in sight, the Valiants rattled off four straight points to get to the brink, ultimately closing out the win on a block by Brown and Hernandez.
Up Next
The Valiants play their first of five-straight away from Kennedy on Monday night when the team takes the short trip along Anderson Hill Road to meet Purchase at 7 p.m.
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