PURCHASE, N.Y. – Back at home for the first time in two weeks, the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team picked up a fourth-straight win, sweeping Mount Saint Mary in three sets. The Valiants improve to 10-8 overall with the win and 4-0 in the Skyline Conference, their 26
th-straight against conference foes.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Night, the Puerto Rican trio of
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy),
Grace Ballagas (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) and
Alana Rivera (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) finished amongst the team's leaders. Hernandez earned her tenth double-double of the season and her fourth-straight with a team-leading 12 kills alongside 12 digs. Rivera also notched a double-double, her fifth of her sophomore campaign, as she handled lead setter duties with 26 assists while collecting 10 digs on the defensive end. Ballagas, meanwhile, earned 22 digs and six assists as libero.
In total, 14 different Valiants took to the floor, with everyone contributing to the win.
Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) finished with eight kills, while
Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) and
Meghan Wildes (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) each logged seven. Andriola also accounted for 10 dig, while
Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) contributed six. Andriola and Jennings also found success on the service line with four and three aces, respectively.
Riding a .345 attack percentage in the opening set, the Valiants made quick work of the opening frame with a 25-11 win. Six straight Manhattanville points opened up the night, with a pair of kills from Wildes, one each by Hernandez and Morales, and a pair of Rivera aces put the Valiants in the driver's seat early. The Knights were unable to sustain a run longer than two points in the first frame as Manhattanville marched to set point. Up 23-11, the Valiants closed things out with an
Aurea Obradors (Barcelona, Spain/Benjamin Franklin International School) kills and a Knight attack error to take the first set.
After a Manhattanville attack error put the Knights on the board first in the second, the Valiants went up on a 3-0 run. Mount Saint Mary responded with three unanswered points of their own before Manhattanville notched the next four points to reclaim a lead they protected the rest of the way. Up 8-6, Manhattanville gained some separation with four straight points. The Knights kept the set within reach for most of play, pulling within two at a 17-15 deficit, but a Hernandez kill began an eight-point run for Manhattanville to grab the second set, 25-15.
A match-high 17 kills led the Valiants to the sweep in the third set. Three of those kills, all courtesy of Hernandez, came as part of a 5-0 opening run that put the home side ahead for good. Another five-put run highlighted by two kills apiece from Andriola and
Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) brought the lead up to 14-5. The Manhattanville advantaged peaked at 10 at 24-14, and while the Knights prolonged the night with two more points,
Lea McIntyre (Lansingburgh, N.Y./Lansingburgh) sent the fans home happy with the match-winning kill, 25-16.
Up Next
The Valiants are on the road again on Saturday, headed to Throggs Neck for an 11 a.m. Skyline tilt with Maritime.
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