PURCHASE, N.Y. – Returning home for the first time in two weeks, the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team opened up a five-match homestand on Wednesday night with a three-set victory over Skyline Conference rival Mount Saint Vincent. The Valiants continue to sit alone atop the conference standings, improving to 13-8 overall with a perfect 7-0 Skyline mark.

Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) led the charge with a 13 kill performance, her sixth-straight match reaching double-figures. Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) added eight putaways, while Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) chipped in with seven.

Defensively, Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) got the start at libero and had a team-high 11 digs for Manhattanville. Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) finished the night with nine digs, with Hernandez and Alyssa Bucci (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook High School) adding eight and seven apiece.

Andriola saw a majority of the team's set attempts, accounting for 20 of Manhattanville's 34 assists. Alana Rivera (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) tallied seven, with Jennings adding six.

The Dolphins jumped out to an early lead that was aided by Manhattanville's opening attack woes. Mount Saint Vincent staked claim to a 5-1 advantage, with three of the points resulting from Valiant attack errors. The lead peaked at a five-point difference with a 7-2 Dolphin advantage before Manhattanville came to life with a 7-0 run, jumping ahead 9-7 and forcing Mount Saint Vincent to call its first timeout of the set. The break allowed the Dolphins to regroup and bring the score even at 10-10. It was the first of four-straight tied scores before a 3-0 run from a pair of Hernandez kills and a Rivera ace to regain breathing room at 16-13. The Dolphins made it a one-point set at 17-16, but the Valiants scored eight of the final 11 points of the frame to take the opener 25-18.

After Mount Saint Vincent led 3-2 to begin the second frame, back-to-back Ruiz kills, a Jennings ace and Dolphin attack error put the home squad up 6-3. The Valiants soon after added another three unanswered points, two via Ruiz kills, to force a Dolphin timeout with the Vals ahead 9-4. The pause did little to stymy the Valiants, with Manhattanville threatening to pull away at 13-6. The deficit brought new life to the Dolphins, rattling off nine consecutive points to come roaring back with a 15-13 lead. That set the stage for a back-and-forth end to the frame that saw five more lead changes before things were said and done. A 3-0 stretch had the Dolphins back in front 22-21, but a kill from Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) evened things up, returned serve to the Valiants, and began the final 4-0 run to take the second set 25-22 on a final kill from Hernandez.

The third set saw nine more lead changes, but the Valiants stood tall once the dust settled. After Andriola opened up the set with an ace, the Dolphins scored the next three points to take their first lead. A 5-2 UMSV advantage would be the largest separation between the two squads for most of the set as neither team could pull away. The Valiants finally delivered the big blow down 16-15with a six-point run to flip the script and go up by five. Manhattanville would need all the breathing room possible as the Dolphins closed the gap back down to one at 23-22. A Hernandez kill brought the Valiants to match point, and while a service error kept the Dolphins alive just a second longer, Hernandez struck again with her eighth putaway of the night to close out the sweep, 25-23.

Up Next
Manhattanville welcomes neighboring Purchase into Kennedy Gymnasium on Saturday at noon.

VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads and YouTube. #WeAreValiant #GoValiants