ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Following a delayed start to weekend action after transportation issues led to the cancellation of Friday's contest against Buffalo State, the Manhattanville College men's volleyball team dropped a pair of three setters in tri-match action against No. 9 Nazareth and SUNY Potsdam. The pair of losses drop the Valiants to 2-7 on the season.
Match One Recap: Manhattanville 0, No. 9 Nazareth 3 (13-25, 16-25, 11-25)
The Valiants squared off against a nationally ranked opponent for the first time in the team's young history to open up action at the Nazareth Invitational Tournament. The Golden Flyers picked up their tenth-straight win with a three-set sweep of Manhattanville.
Wilton Martinez (Bronx, N.Y./Celia Cruz Bronx HS of Music) had six kills to pace the Valiants, followed by five from
Emil Morban Medrano (San Cristobal, Republica Dominicana/HS for Environmental Studies).
Pedro Barros Machado (Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil/Colegio Oficina) logged 14 of the team's 15 assists, while
Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East) led the defensive effort with four digs.
There was little the Valiants could do to hinder the ninth-ranked Golden Flyer attack that sported a .415 attack percentage over the course of the match. Manhattanville only hit positive in the second set and were limited to 15 total kills across the contest compared to Nazareth's 40.
The Valiants hung around in the opener as the Golden Flyers opened on a 7-5 lead before Nazareth went on a 8-0 run that allowed the home squad to cruise to a 25-13 opening set win. Manhattanville fared better in set two, leading 9-7 on the heels of a 3-0 run. However, Nazareth pulled even at 10-10 and took the lead on a string of six straight points to once again take a lead they would not surrender, winning 25-16. An 8-0 start to the third set for the Golden Flyers was enough for Nazareth to close out the match with a 25-11 win.
Match Two Recap: Manhattanville 0, SUNY Potsdam 3 (21-25, 19-25, 21-25)
While the Valiants did a much better job and cutting down on the errors in their second game of the day, attacking .304 in the in match. However, Potsdam's play at the net led by four blocks by Sean Murray helped the Bears win the three straight sets to hand the Valiants a second loss on the day.
Martinez once again paced the attack, logging 11 kills. Martinez added a pair of aces and a block. Gandarillas got involved more in the offensive effort in the second match of the day as he matched his season-high with 10 putaways.
Machado accounted for 29 total assists, while Medrano finished with a team-high six digs.
After the Valiants opened on a 3-1 run, Potsdam scored the next four points to put the Bears in front. Potsdam led by as many as six points, but the Valiants came roaring back to tie the set up at 20-20. Despite the strong effort to pull even, the Bears scored five of the next six points to hold off the Valiants and take the opening point.
Set two featured eight different tied scores as the team's went back-and-forth to a 15-15 stalemate. There, the Bears scored four straight to go ahead for good. The Valiants closed the gap down to two at 20-18, but Potsdam once again closed strong with five of the next six points to go up 2-0. The teams continued to be evenly matched throughout the third set, this time with seven more tied scores. The Valiants notched the first three points of the frame and would once again eventually find themselves even with the Bears at 15-15. Potsdam logged the next three points in a run that proved to be the difference maker as the Valiants were unable to completely make up the ground before the Bears earned the win, 25-21.
Up Next
The Valiants are back home in Kennedy Gym at 7 p.m. on Wednesday to host Sage.
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