BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Following a week break from the court, the Manhattanville College men's volleyball team found themselves notching another tally in the win column with their second-straight five set match, this time downing Brooklyn College, 3-2, on Thursday night. With the win the Valiants improved to 4-7 in their final tune up before conference play ramps up.
The Valiants' attack was led by the trio of outside hitters
Wilton Martinez (Bronx, N.Y./Celia Cruz Bronx HS of Music),
Emil Morban Medrano (San Cristobal, Republica Dominicana/HS for Environmental Studies), and
Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East). Martinez and Medrano both collected double-doubles, as Martinez accounted for 19 kills and eleven digs with Medrano following suit notching 12 kills and 15 digs. Gandarillas rounded out the attack by collecting eight kills and six digs.
Idris Idris (Kassala, Sudan/JFK High School) tallied 40 assists in the contest as the Valiants' primary setter as libero
Nash Torres (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Colegio Rosa-Bell) paced the Valiants in digs, with 19.
In the first set, the Valiants would jump out to a 7-2 lead from the serves of
Jake Rothluebbers (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union High School) and attacks of Martinez, leading to a .267 hitting percentage in the first frame. Manhattanville would continue to stay in front of their counterparts, not allowing them to get within four points, helping the Valiants capture the first set 25-19. Manhattanville would go on to take the next set, 25-20, in similar fashion as the first, putting the Valiants one set closer to a victory.
The Bulldogs would threaten the reverse sweep, as the offensive attack exploded in the third set, hitting at a .346 clip, registering 13 kills. After trading points back and forth, the Bulldogs would embark on a 12-3-point swing, jumping out to a 20-11 lead, putting the set out of reach for the Valiants. Brooklyn subsequently held Manhattanville to their lowest point total of the night in the fourth set, forcing eight attack errors for the Valiants. The Bulldogs grabbed the lead to the tune of a 8-0 run from a tied 9-9 game, jumping ahead to the 16-9 lead after forcing five straight attack errors. A few points later, Brooklyn would put this set into unapproachable territory for the Valiants as they kindled another run, this time bringing the score to 23-13, as the contest headed into the fifth, and final set.
The Valiants saved their best for last, as they hit .294 in the final stanza, a team-high mark on the night. Starting the set down 3-2, the Valiants swung the game back in their favor after picking up four straight points to push the score to 5-3. A few points later the Valiants would rattle off another four straight points, leading to both teams trading blows, but the lead Manhattanville built was too much for the Bulldogs as they ended the match on a service error, giving the Valiants their second straight win.
Up Next
The Valiants begin the meat of their conference play with the Yeshiva Tri-Match, taking on St. Joseph's-Long Island and host Yeshiva on Mar. 3, at 1 and 3 p.m.
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