NEW YORK, N.Y. – Closing out tri-match action for the year, the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team swept a pair of contests at John Jay on Saturday afternoon. After emerging victorious in a five-set thriller against the host Bloodhounds, the Valiants turned right around and swept Skyline rival Sarah Lawrence to close out the day. The pair of wins has the Valiants back at .500 for the first time since Sept. 5, now at 8-8, while the win over the Gryphons brings Manhattanville's conference mark to 2-0 on the season.

Match One Recap: Manhattanville 3, John Jay 2 (21-25, 25-16, 24-26, 25-19, 15-8)
Playing a second-straight five-setter coming off Tuesday's marathon match with Kean, the Valiants opened up Saturday's action by completing a come-from-behind victory over John Jay, winning the last two sets to knock off the Bloodhounds.

Loren Hernandez' (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) seventh double-double of the season led the effort as the junior logged a team-high 23 kills, her second-straight match eclipsing 20 putaways, while adding 14 digs on the defensive end. Hernandez chipped in an assist and one ace as part of her strong performance. Ayla Ruiz (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Andrew's Schools) also heavily featured in the attack effort with 17 kills.

Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) had a strong all-around performance, accounting for 35 of the team's 54 assists. In addition to being the Valiants' primary setter in the win, the junior had seven digs, six kills, three aces and a pair of block assists.

Alana Rivera (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) and Grace Ballagas (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Robinson School) both accounted for eight assists to compliment Andriola's effort. Ballagas continued to shine as the Valiants' starting libero with a team-high 23 digs. Eva Kocovic (Bronx, N.Y./Maria Regina High School) also shined in the defensive category as she recorded a career-high 13 digs.

After six straight tied scores to open up play, the Bloodhounds went on a 6-2 run to gain separation in the first set to go ahead 12-8. The Valiants logged the next two points to half their deficit, but four straight points by John Jay in response put the home team up by six. The Bloodhound lead peaked at eight, and despite Manhattanville's best efforts to make it a two-point set again at 21-19, the Bloodhounds scored four of the final six points to take the opening frame.

The Valiants shook off their .077 attack percentage in the first set with a match-best .242 in the second to even things up at a set apiece. The teams traded runs to open, with Manhattanville claiming a 7-5 lead before John Jay rattled off five unanswered to go in front. The Bloodhounds continued to lead up to 13-11 when Manhattanville scored seven of the next eight to jump ahead 18-14. The Valiants held the Bloodhounds to just two more points over the duration of the set, taking the frame with a 6-0 run capped by a Hernandez kill.

Neither team had a dominant attacking effort in set three with both squads hitting below .100. With the Bloodhounds up 7-5, John Jay benefitted from Manhattanville miscues and timely kills to further their lead up to 15-7. The Valiants wasted little time putting a dent into John Jay's lead, scoring the next four points thanks to kills from Andriola and Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) and a pair of Alyssa Bucci (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook High School) aces, but needed some more time to fully get back into the set. The Bloodhounds were unable to get any runs going, allowing the Valiants to come storming back as John Jay's lead evaporated down to a single point, 23-22. The Valiants got to set point off a Hernandez kills and Andriola ace, but the Bloodhounds epitomized bending and not breaking by getting the next three points to win the set 26-24.
Things looked to continue to be headed in John Jay's favor as the Bloodhounds opened the fourth set with an 8-3 lead. Manhattanville once again fought back into things to tie the score up at 11-11. From there, an 11-1 run firmly put the Valiants in control, leading 22-12. While the Bloodhounds refused to roll over, scoring seven of the next ten points, the scoreboard was not on John Jay's side as Ruiz sent the match to a breaker set with a clinching kill, 25-19.

Running on fumes, the Bloodhounds were unable to keep pace with the Valiants as John Jay hit negative in the fifth set to the tune of a -.043 clip. Manhattanville, conversely, swung .227 to take the match, using an 8-1 run to jump ahead 11-5. John Jay mustered just one kill over the duration of the match before kills from Brown and Hernandez brought an end to the opener, 15-8.

Match Two Recap: Manhattanville 3, Sarah Lawrence 0 (28-26, 25-23, 25-11)
It was little rest for the weary as the Valiants were right back in action after the five set affair to take on Sarah Lawrence immediately after in the Doghouse. The Gryphons pushed the Valiants to their limit in the first two sets, but Manhattanville closed out the sweep with a dominant third set win to head home from the Big Apple with a pair of victories in tow.

Hernandez added another double-double to her resume, logging 21 kills and 10 digs in another top performance. She was compliment by strong attacking efforts from Ruiz and Sofia Morales (Tolland, Conn./Tolland), adding 15 and seven kills, respectively, while both swinging better than .460 in the match.

Rivera took over primary setting duties in the finale, racking up 37 of the team's 45 assists. She added nine digs, trailing only Hernandez and Ballagas' 14 in the contest. Beyond her stellar defensive play, Ballagas was also Manhattanville's leading server as the senior logged four aces while adding seven assists and a kill.

The Valiants looked poised to run away with the opening set, jumping out to a 9-4 advantage. The Gryphons were not going to let the back-to-back conference champions off the hook so easily as Sarah Lawrence went on an extended 12-4 run to go in front, 16-13. The Valiants pulled even at 16-16, but after trading points, the Gryphons seized the next multi-point lead at 21-18 with three unanswered points. Sarah Lawrence was on the brink of set victory but couldn't piece together the necessary run, allowing the Valiants to go on an 8-3 run to come all the way back and take the opener 28-26.

Manhattanville's attack shined brightest in the second set with a .471 attack percentage, the best in any of their eight sets on the day. The Valiants would ultimately need all 19 of their kills as the Gryphons once again brought the set down to the wire. As was the case in the set prior, Manhattanville built up an early lead that topped at a five-point advantage at 14-9. The Gryphons came charging back right on cue, scoring five straight to make it a brand new set tied at 14-all. Manhattanville was able to reestablish a five-point lead at 21-16, but a 5-1 Sarah Lawrence run in response eliminated any wiggle room. As the teams traded points the rest of the way, Hernandez played the difference maker as her three kills accounted for each of Manhattanville's final three points, allowing the Vals to edge out a 25-23 win.

The Gryphons' attack cooled significantly in the third set as Sarah Lawrence dropped to a .083 attack percentage. Manhattanville took advantage and pulled away once again, this time far beyond reach. The Valiants burst out of the gates with 14 of the first 18 points of the set as the Gryphons could not get a sustained run going. Sarah Lawrence scored just one point while controlling the serve in the entire set, with three straight kills from Ruiz, Morales and Hernandez capped off the sweep, 25-11.

Up Next
Conference play heads into full swing as the Valiants return to action on Thursday. The second of eight-straight Skyline challenges awaits in the form of USMMA, when Manhattanville heads to Kings Point for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Mariners.  

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