OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – A shorthanded Manhattanville College men's volleyball squad was able to overcome a depleted roster to notch a three set sweep of Skyline foe Old Westbury on Thursday night. The Valiants improve to 6-9 overall with the win (26-24, 25-17, 25-18) and now stand at 2-3 in conference play.

With both of the team's setters sidelined, utility man Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East) stepped up to serve as the team's assist leader on the night, accumulating 28 of the 31 total assists. The rookie added eight digs, a kill and a team-high four aces.

Jake Rothluebbers (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union High School) and Emil Morban Medrano (San Cristobal, Republica Dominicana/HS for Environmental Studies) capitalized on the position shakeups as both recorded double-doubles. Rothluebbers set season-highs with 11 kills and 13 digs for his first double-double of the campaign, while Medrano's 19 dig, 10 kill performance notched his third double-double of his rookie season.

Wilton Martinez (Bronx, N.Y./Celia Cruz Bronx HS of Music) was also heavily featured in the defensive play with 12 digs alongside his five kills and pair of aces. Nash Torres (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Colegio Rosa-Bell) finished the win with 10 digs of his own.

Despite facing seven different deficits in the opening frame, the Valiants continually battled back the open up the night against the Panthers to ultimately take the set 26-24. Old Westbury scored the opening two points and quickly built up a 5-2 lead before three straight Panther errors allowed the Valiants to pull back even. Old Westbury notched the next two points and would lead by as much as four, going up 12-8. The Valiants rallied to knot things up once again at 15-15 before taking their first lead of the contest with a pair of Martinez kills to go up 17-16. Old Westbury retook the lead soon after, with the teams being tied at 19-19, 21-21, and 23-23. A set error by Gandarillas put the Panther on set point, but a kill from Rothluebbers led to the ninth tied score of the set at 24-24 before the Valiants put an end to things following an Old Westbury attack error and Medrano ace.

Riding the momentum of their comeback performance, the Valiants improved over the remainder of play. A 7-0 run put Manhattanville up 8-3 through the early going of set two, with the Valiants never surrendering the lead. Continuing to lead 12-7, Manhattanville rattled off another five consecutive points to push their lead up to ten. While the Panthers were able to prevent any further sustained runs for the rest of the frame, it was too little, too late to keep the Valiants from getting set point, taking the decision 25-17 following an Old Westbury service error.

The Valiants began the third with the first five points. While the Panthers were able to pull back within one on a pair of occasions, Manhattanville held on, using a three point run to regain breathing space to go up 10-6. The lead never fell below three points as the Vals worked their way up to match point. Up 22-18, a Medrano kill, Gandarillas ace, and one final Medrano putaway capped off the sweep with the 25-18 win.

Up Next
The Valiants will host their first program tri-match on Saturday, welcoming Skyline opponents Saint Joseph's Brooklyn and New Jersey City to Kennedy Gymnasium starting at 11 a.m.

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