PURCHASE, N.Y. - Facing a familiar opponent for the second time in as many days, the Manhattanville College men's volleyball team fell to crosstown rival Purchase by a score of three sets to one. With the loss, the Valiants now reside at 11-16 on the season, with a 7-9 record in conference play and currently sitting in sixth place in the Skyline standings. 

Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East) with 14 kills, one more than the night before, followed closely by Pedro Barros Machado (Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil/Colegio Oficina) with ten as Jacob Fletcher (Rocklin, Calif./Western Sierra Collegiate Academy) rounded out the attacking efforts with five kills of his own.  

On the defensive side of the court, Emil Morban Medrano (San Cristobal, Republica Dominicana/HS for Environmental Studies) paced the team with 12 digs, as he donned the libero jersey once again. Machado and Fletcher fell in line with six and five digs, respectively. 

The Panthers came out of the gates hot, taking the first seven points of the game to jump out to an early lead on a handful of attack errors and kills. More of the same occurred in the first set, as the Panthers embarked on a run later, as the score sat at 17-10 in Purchase's favor. Déjà vu struck, as the Panthers rattled off seven straight points later in the set with three services aces thrown in the mix, and eventually taking the first set 25-12. 

Manhattanville found their form in the second set, hitting at a .258 clip. The Valiants started off the set with three straight points thanks to attack errors from the opposition. Purchase took those points right back, also benefiting from attack errors. The Panthers would spark a miniature run, putting the score at 7-4 in their favor. Manhattanville would subsequently rattle off seven straight points to flip the tide of the set and see it sit at 11-7 for the Valiants. Both teams would trade blows back and forth, but the Valiants would eventually come out on top in the second set, 25-20. 

While the Panther massively outhit the Valiants, .462 to .194, the third set proved to be the closest of the contest. With the largest margin being five points, the Panthers looked to be in control of the set, but the Valiants flipped the script as the game sat at 18-13. Manhattanville would take the next seven points out of ten to pin the score at 21-20 for Purchase. The Panthers would outlast the Valiants in the waning points of the third set, winning it 25-23. 

In what proved to be the final stanza of the night, the Panthers played more to the tune of the first set, using a .370 hitting percentage while forcing the Valiants to hit in the negatives. Manhattanville made things close in the middle of the set, as the score stood at 10-8 for the Panthers, then started a 9-1 run to put the game out of reach at 19-9. Purchase would take the final set at 25-15, for a final score of 3-1. 

Up Next 

The Valiants end their inaugural regular season at the Sarah Lawrence Tri-Match, taking on the Gryphons and Old Westbury, on Saturday at 1 and 3 p.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