NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University women's volleyball team fell to a pair of teams receiving national votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll on Saturday, dropping both ends of the NYU Tri-Match. The Valiants fell to William Smith in three sets before being bested by the hosting Violets in another three-set sweep. Manhattanville concludes the weekend with a 7-7 overall record, falling to 6-7 against non-conference teams in 2025.
Match One Recap: Manhattanville 0, William Smith 3 (17-25, 19-25, 10-25)
Manhattanville began its day against two of the premiere programs in the county by taking on the Herons. William Smith saw its seven-match win streak snapped by NYU earlier in the morning, bouncing back into the win column by defeating the Valiants in a straight three sets.
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) led the Manhattanville attack with six kills, while
Kaiel Maynor (Newark, N.J./Science Park) added five and
Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) and
Caylin Caballero (Eastvale, Calif./Walnut) finished with four each.
Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) and
Alana Rivera Torres (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) supplied ten assists each, while
Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) provided the Valiants' other three along with a team-high ten digs. Hernandez finished with eight digs on the defensive side.
The Herons hit .369 in the win, the highest attack percentage by an opponent against the Valiants this season. William Smith's potent attack was on display from opening serve, logging 13 kills in the first set. Manhattanville tied the score at 7-7 following a three-point spurt thanks to a Hernandez kill and block and a Caballero termination, but the Herons scored six of the next seven to pull away, ultimately claiming the opener 25-17.
Manhattanville struggled to find an offensive rhythm as the team's swing percentage dipped as the match progressed. William Smith hit .250 in the second compared to the Valiants' .024. After five tied scores brought the set to 7-all, Manhattanville scored five straight to take its largest lead of the day. The Herons eventually closed the gap and took the lead on an 11-1 run, leading 22-16. Manhattanville was limited to just three more points over the rest of the set as the Herons closed out the 25-19 win.
The Valiants swung negative in the third while the Herons hit a whopping .625. William Smith set the tone with a 13-2 opening run, with Manhattanville's points both coming off of Heron service errors. Maynor logged the Valiants' first kill of the frame to cap off a 3-0 run that moved the score to 13-5, but it did little to slow the Herons' march to the 25-10 win.
Match Two Recap: Manhattanville 0, NYU 3 (15-25, 25-27, 16-25)
Unable to overcome its .020 attack percentage on the match, the Valiants fell to the Violets for an 18
th-straight meeting dating back to 1986.
Hernandez' nine kills lead the offensive effort, while Caballero and
Amelia Morrison (Avon, Conn./Avon) added four each. Hernandez added 11 digs, trailing only Jennings' 15 on the Valiants. Torres finished with 14 of Manhattanville's 20 assists, the team's lowest total in a match this year.
After the Violets snatched the first two points of play, Manhattanville scored six straight thanks to a pair of blocks by brown, another by Caballero, and a kill apiece via Hernandez and Caballero. NYU took over with a 10-1 run, as Manhattanville was unable to piece together any run longer than two points over the remainder of the set, allowing the Violets to take the 25-15 opener.
Manhattanville showed a much stronger effort in the second, forcing extras to determine a winer thanks to a .333 attack percentage. The Valiants took a 6-2 lead following a five-point run before the Violets went in front with eight of the next nine. Manhattanville trailed by as many as six points at an 18-12 deficit, but clawed their way back by forcing NYU one-and-outs up to a 24-22 score. The Valiants reached set point following a Morrison block, Violet attack error and Andriola ace that put Manhattanville up 25-24. However, Andriola's next serve was off target, tying the set at 25-all. NYU seized the opportunity as Sarah Beville notched back-to-back aces to take the 27-25 win.
The Valiants were unable to carry over the attacking success from the second set, swinging -.343 to close out the day. NYU scored four of the first five and eight of the first 11 to put Manhattanville in an early hole. The Violets soon after went on a 7-0 run to firmly pull away up 16-7, marching to the 25-16 win.
Up Next
Manhattanville begins the Skyline gauntlet on Wednesday night. The Valiants open a stretch of ten-straight conference matches against Saint Joseph's Long Island at 7 p.m.
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