After shipping up to Massachusetts on Wednesday afternoon, the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team is set for its fifth-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Valiants are in the big dance for a fourth-straight year and draw a national powerhouse in the opening round, meeting No. 11 Trinity (Texas) on Thursday inside Rockwell Cage on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
How We Got Here
The Valiants reached new heights this season, winning a fourth-straight Skyline Conference title as the team firmly cemented itself as a dynasty. Women's volleyball became the fifth program in school history to record a four-peat, the first since both softball and men's golf completed the feat over the stretch of 2016 to 2019.
Manhattanville pushed its winning streak against Skyline Conference foes to 48-straight matches with the three-set sweeps of Sarah Lawrence and Saint Joseph's Long Island in the Conference Championship Tournament, the sixth-longest active streak in Division III. While it takes a full team effort to put up those kinds of numbers,
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) has been in the thick of it for the entirety of her collegiate career. The senior repeated as the Skyline's Player of the Year as well as the Conference Championship Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, coming into the NCAA Tournament as the program's all-time leader in kills (1271) and points (1453.5), and sits 18 digs shy of 1,000 for her career. She's been one of the best players to come through the doors of Kennedy Gymnasium, and hopes to add a few more footnotes to her decorated career before the run comes to an end.
Hernandez has played alongside another standout outside hitter in
Caylin Caballero (Eastvale, Calif./Walnut), whose efforts captured her the Skyline Rookie of the Year award. The freshman helped Manhattanville secure the title with 10 kills in the championship match, reaching double-digits for the 17
th time. Manhattanville's attack in the championship match was led by another freshman, with
Cassidy Fallon (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) notching a career-high 11 kills against the Golden Eagles.
Alana Rivera Torres (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) had a 23 assist, 13 dig double-double the last time out along with six aces, while
Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) (nine assists, four kills, two digs, two aces) and
Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) (15 digs, two aces) also heavily featured in the win as has been the tendency all season long.
Opposing Manhattanville will be Trinity, making the trip to Massachusetts all the way from San Antonio. The Tigers dropped three spots in this week's AVCA National Poll after falling to Berry in the SAA Tournament Finals on Saturday. Still, Trinity remains one of the top teams in the nation, earning an at-large bid to the tournament with a 22-5 overall record and a 13-1 mark in conference action during the regular season. Six Tigers earned All-Conference recognition, led by Reagan Whatley being selected SAA Offensive Player of the Year and Head Coach Julie Jenkins named Coach of the Year. Whatley led her conference with 3.52 kills per set while also being a presence in the serving and defensive game. Jenkins, meanwhile, has been at the helm of Trinity for 41 seasons and sits at 1,099 career wins with the Tigers entering Thursday.
Last Time Out
This is the first meeting between Manhattanville and Trinity in any sport in the history of the two institutions.
Tournament History
While Manhattanville has heard its name called during each of the last four NCAA Tournament Selection Shows and five of the last six, the Valiants are still searching for its first win in the dance. Manhattanville fell to 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament last season with a 3-0 loss to Gettysburg. Across all four previous NCAA Tournament matches, the Valiants have yet to capture a set win.
For Trinity, the NCAA Tournament is the norm as the Tigers make their 30
th postseason appearance in school history and ninth-straight. Trinity is 47-29 overall in the tournament and has finished runner-up twice, most recently in 2022 where the Tigers fell to Juniata in the finals. The Tigers' 2024 run came to an end in the regional final in a 3-1 loss to host Emory.
Team Leaders
Manhattanville
