PURCHASE, N.Y. – In a meeting of the last two unbeaten teams in Skyline Conference play, the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team won its third-straight match on Tuesday night with a three-set sweep of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Now having won the sixth-straight match against the Mariners dating back to 2022, the Valiants sit alone atop the conference standings with a 10-7 record overall and a 4-0 mark in Skyline action.
Coming off Saturday's five-set thriller over Saint Joseph's Brooklyn and heading into Tuesday's rematch of the 2024 Conference Championship, the Valiants looked no worse for wear as the team picked up its fifth sweep of the year.
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) finished with 11 kills to lead all players on the floor as the conference's leader in kills brought her season total up to 233.
Cassidy Fallon (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) had another stellar performance, with the rookie finishing behind only Hernandez on the night as she provided six putaways with three total blocks.
Caylin Caballero (Eastvale, Calif./Walnut) and
Kaiel Maynor (Newark, N.J./Science Park) finished with kills each in the winning effort.
Kayla Jennings' (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) team-high 16 digs were coupled with a pair of assists and an ace, while Caballero joined her in double-figures with 12 scoops for a second-straight match.
In addition to their usual setting efforts accounting for 22 of the Valiants' 25 assists,
Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) and
Alana Rivera Torres (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) both had phenomenal nights on the backline serving. Andriola logged a career-high six aces to go with her ten assists, while Rivera Torres' five aces marked a new season-high as she added 12 assists.
Manhattanville's 17 service aces was the most recorded by the team in a single match since last September when the Valiants had 19 against Ramapo.
Neither team hit particularly well in the contest, with USMMA swinging .107 to Manhattanville's .094 clip, but the Valiants came out hot in first, logging 13 kills for a .212 attack percentage. The Mariners took the opening point on a Manhattanville attack error before a pair of Hernandez kills sandwiching an ace from Rivera Torres gave the Valiants a lead the home team never surrendered. A 6-1 run later in the set spotted Manhattanville a set-high seven-point lead at 13-6. Manhattanville maintained the seven-point gap to a 17-10 score when USMMA went on its longest run of the set, scoring four straight to close the gap down to three. The Val regained some separation thanks to kills from Caballero and Hernandez before a Fallon-Hernandez team-up block to push the score to 21-15, winning the set soon after on Rivera Torres' ace at 25-19.
 The Valiants took control of the second set right from the opening serve with the opening six points.
Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial), Hernandez and Maynor each had a kill as part of the opening run. The lead continued to swell at 9-4 as Manhattanville rattled off another nine unanswered points, taking a commanding 18-4 advantage. Merchant Marine covered some ground, but a final service error snuffed out any hopes of a comeback as the Valiants took set two by a final of 25-15.
Both team's attack efforts were their weakest in the third, as Merchant swung .063 and Manhattanville finished at an even .000 with nine errors erasing their nine kills. The result was the closet frame of the night with seven different tied scores. The back-and-forth saw USMMA going on a 6-1 run to take an 18-15 lead. A timely kill from Hernandez brought the Valiant attack to life as the Valiants scored five unanswered and seven of the next eight to jump back in front, 22-19. An ace from Caballero brought the Vals up to match point at 24-20, and while USMMA stuck around for three more rallies, Fallon brought an end to the night with her sixth and final kill of the affair, winning 25-22.
Up Next
The Valiants take to the home floor again on Saturday, hosting Maritime at noon.
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