NASHUA, N.H. – Wrapping up a four-match week, the Manhattanville College men's volleyball team fell in both ends of Saturday's tri-match hosted by Rivier University. The Valiants were defeated in three sets by the hosting Raiders before dropping their Skyline Conference opener against Ramapo on the neutral court, 3-0. The pair of losses has the Valiants' overall record now standing at 1-5 overall and 0-1 in the Skyline.
Match One Recap: Manhattanville 0, Rivier 3 (14-25, 22-25, 19-25)
The Valiants opened up the day by taking to the floor against the Raiders. Head Coach Tyler Blank made his first trip to his alma matter at the helm of the Valiants, now standing on the sidelines of the court that he exceled on as a player for four years.
Emil Morban Medrano (San Cristobal, Republica Dominicana/HS for Environmental Studies) finished the match with five kills to lead the Valiants in the effort.
Idris Idris (Kassala, Sudan/JFK High School) and
Pedro Barros Machado (Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil/Colegio Oficina) accounted for all 15 of Manhattanville's assists, with nine coming from Idris. Machado and
Wilton Martinez (Bronx, N.Y./Celia Cruz Bronx HS of Music) both logged four digs as the Valiants' leading defenders, while Jacob Flecther logged a pair of blocks.
It was not the homecoming Coach Blank had hoped for out of his squad as the Valiants hit -017 as a team in the loss. As both teams tried to settle in, the Valiants claimed a 5-4 advantage. The Raiders began to find their footing with the home team scoring seven unanswered points. Rivier never looked back in the opening set as they built a lead as high as 12 en route to the 25-14 victory.
The Valiants played significantly better in the second set to keep pace with the Raiders with the teams trading tied scores 12 different times leading up to a 16-16 score. Rivier went on the largest run of the set, scoring four straight to bring the score even and ultimately go up 19-16. The Valiants fought back to tie things up once again at 22-22, but a Manhattanville service error put Rivier back in front with control of the serve, allowing the Raiders to claim the set 25-22.
Manhattanville struggled to replicate their hitting success from the set prior to close out the match, logging three kills to nine errors. Still, things remained within reach for the Valiants for most of the third as the score was even as late as 12-12 and Manhattanville did not trail by more than three points as Rivier protected a 17-16 advantage. A Bassam Awde kill proved to be the momentum shift for the Raiders as it began a 6-0 run that the Valiants were unable to respond to. Up 23-16, Rivier held off Manhattanville to capture the final two points, taking the set and match 25-19.
Match Two Recap: Manhattanville 0, Ramapo 3 (14-25, 17-25, 19-25)
Returning to the court immediately following the opening loss, the Valiants were unable to capture the win in their first-ever conference tilt, dropping a three set decision to Ramapo.
Machado led the attack with six kills, followed by four from Martinez and three via Medrano. Medrano would serve as the defensive leader for Manhattanville with nine digs, while
Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East) followed just behind with eight. Idris had 10 assists as the Valiant leading setter.
The Valiants recorded just 19 kills over the course of the match as they struggled to string points together. Manhattanville would not string a run of more than three points together until the third set as the Roadrunners were able to methodically climb their way to set point in each of the three frames. Manhattanville scored just one point while controlling the serve in the opening set, unable to mount a response to Ramapo's five-point run that put the Roadrunners up 9-3. Ramapo proceeded to cruise to the 25-14 set victory from that point on.
Manhattanville continued to struggle as the team hit negative in each of the final two sets. The Valiants would jump out to a 6-3 advantage to begin the set, but the Roadrunners went on a 9-1 run to once again firmly take control. Ramapo logged a match-high 12 kills in the second as Manhattanville's best offensive spurt came with scoring the first three points of the set. The Roadrunners were able to continue to climb toward set point, taking the frame 25-17.
Ramapo opened the third with a 5-2 score before the Valiants were able to build together a sustained run, scoring the next five to go in front. Unfortunately, the Roadrunners had a five-point run of their own up their sleeves, putting the Valiants behind 10-7 as they tried to climb back the rest of the way. Manhattanville did eventually even things up at 17-17, but Ramapo took the set and the match on an 8-2 run, 25-19.
Up Next
The Valiants are back at home on Wednesday night to host Elms College at 7 p.m.
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