PURCHASE, N.Y. --  It was a barn burner inside Kennedy Gymnasium on Tuesday night as the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team engaged in a marathon affair against the visiting Kean Cougars. It took more than two hours for the five set affair to reach a conclusion, but the Cougars ultimately outlasted the Valiants after the dust settled. The loss (25-22, 25-22, 28-30, 19-25, 6-15) drops the Valiants to 6-8 on the season.

While the Valiants were able to take a two-set lead and get to match point in the third, the height discrepancy of the two rosters was the key difference maker on the night. Kean dominated at the net, logging 18 blocks to just one by the Valiants, allowing the visiting team to battle all the way back and win the final three frames.

In what was one of their most complete performances as a team all season long, the Valiants' offensive effort was led by Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy). The junior set a new career-high with 25 kills, tied for the fifth-most in a single match in program history. Hernandez added five aces and nine digs throughout the night. Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) joined her in double-figures offensively with 10 kills and also flirted with a double-double, ending the contest with eight digs. Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) and Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) made their presences known in the attacking effort as well, logging eight and seven kills respectively.

Alana Rivera (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) also had a career night, with her 41 assists setting a new personal high. The sophomore setter collected her third double-double of the season, adding a team-leading 20 digs, another career-best. Grace Ballagas (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) matched her countrymate's dig total, her fifth time this season recording 20 or more digs. Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) also featured heavily in the defensive play with 12 digs, while Alyssa Bucci (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook High School) added nine.

Setting the tone for the night to come, the Valiants and Cougars battled to 11 different tied scores over the first set. The teams matched each other stride for stride, neither gaining a lead larger than three points for a majority of the opening frame. Kean stuck for the first three points of the contest, immediately answered by the Valiants with three of their own. After trading serves for the next seven points, the Valiants rattled off four straight to go up 10-7. This too lasted only monetarily as the Cougars notched a four point run of their own to go back in front. Kean continued to keep the Valiants at bay up to a 19-17 lead, but a kill from Hernandez turned the tide. The putaway started a 6-0 run that saw a pair of kills from Hernandez, one from Brown, a pair of aces by Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland), and a set error by the Cougars that firmly slid momentum into the hands of the Vals, up 23-19. Kean fought to the end, but an attack error spelled the end of their comeback effort as the Valiants won the opener 25-22.

Manhattanville swung a match-best .220 in the second set, ultimately needing every kill they could generate to go up two sets to none. The new frame opened similarly to how the previous played out, with eight different tied scores leading to a 9-9 score. A Valiant attack error brought the set even for Kean, putting the Cougars on an extended 7-1 run to take the first substantial lead of the second. However, the Valiants came to play and quickly erased the deficit with six of the next seven points to bring things even once again at 16-16. The teams traded blows as they inched closer to set point, with the Cougars nursing the slimmest of leads up 22-21. Hernandez took over, logging three kills as part of a 4-0 run to jump back in front and win a second-straight set by a score of 25-22.

Feeding off the energy of the first two sets and the home crowd, the Valiants exploded out of the gate in the third with an 11-3 run to get things started. Determined to not head home after three sets, Kean chipped away at the deficit, nearly closing the gap with a 6-0 run that cut Manhattanville's lead down to 14-12. The Valiants regained some breathing room with a six-point cushion at 22-16, but the Cougars stormed back with an 8-1 run to flip the script and suddenly get to set point, up 24-23. What followed was a slugfest as the set extended past 25 points. Both teams had their chances to put the set away in the extended play, but it would ultimately be the Cougars winning the marathon and surviving, 30-28, to send the match into a fourth set.

Exhausted following the third set, the Valiants' attacking effort declined across the rest of the night, swinging .053 in the fourth and -.148 in the golden set. Kean's height advantage allowed the Cougars to take control over the final two frames to complete the comeback, logging seven blocks in the fourth and four in the fifth. Kean outlasted the Valiants 25-19 to send the match into the deciding fifth set, which saw the Cougars ultimately leaving Kennedy winners after a 15-6 victory.

Up Next
The Valiants get a few days of much-needed rest before another long day awaits them. Manhattanville plays in their final tri-match of the season on Saturday, traveling to John Jay to take on the host Bloodhounds and Sarah Lawrence starting at 11 a.m.

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