BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – For the third time in as many years, the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team completed a perfect 11-0 regular season against the Skyline Conference, officially clinching the No. 1 seed for the postseason with Wednesday night's four-set triumph at Sarah Lawrence. The Valiants improve to 17-7 overall on the year with one game remaining on the regular season slate.
Playing a four-setter for first time in nearly a month, the Valiants used a full-team effort to earn the road win. In a rookie season full of stellar performances, Caylin Caballero (Eastvale, Calif./Walnut) pitched arguably her finest on Wednesday. The freshman logged a season-high 19 kills while earning her seventh double-double of the year with 11 digs. Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) also shined with her highest kill total in her last seven matches with 16 terminations. Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) and Cassidy Fallon (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) logged four kills apiece.
For a second-straight match and fourth time this season, Manhattanville logged 15 service aces. Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) matched her career high with seven of the aces, while Alana Rivera Torres (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) and Hernandez added three each. Rivera Torres and Andriola piloted the setting effort with 38 of the team's 47 assists with 20 and 18 each, respectively, with Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) adding the other nine.
Jennings also led Manhattanville's defensive effort with 18 digs, while Rivera Torres earned her third double-double of the year with 11 digs to match Caballero's output.
The Valiants took a 10-5 lead in set one thanks to a 9-2 run capped by three straight Caballero kills, with the advantage never leaving Manhattanville's side over the rest of the frame. The Gryphons did close the gap to a two-point deficit at four separate occasions but the Valiants had a response every time Sarah Lawrence started to get back into things. After trading serves for six-straight rallies, Manhattanville closed out the win with a 3-1 final run, bookended by kills from Hernandez and Brown.
It was the Andriola show in the second set as the senior took over to put the Valiants in front. Down 6-4, Andriola served seven straight aces as part of a 10-0 Manhattanville run. The stellar serving performance put the Vals in the driver's seat, capping off the 25-15 set with a final Caballero kill fittingly assisted by Andriola.
Sarah Lawrence got on the board by taking the third set, thanks to a match-high .310 attack percentage. Despite the Valiants swinging a night-low of .067 in the set, Manhattanville was able to nearly come back from a 21-10 deficit to make it a three point game at 24-21 before time ran out on the sweep bid thanks to Nikolet Vataj's winning kill.
The Valiants bounced back with a quick start, opening the fourth set on a 5-1 run. Sarah Lawrence played catch up until pulling even at 13-13, the first of five tied scores down the stretch. Caballero delivered a kill that moved the score to a 21-21 tie, starting a crucial 4-0 run that brought the Valiants to match point. The Gryphons got two back to move the score to 24-25, but Andriola and Brown combined for the match-ending block, capping off a third-straight 11-0 Skyline campaign for Manhattanville.
Up Next
The Valiants close out the regular season on Saturday for Senior Day against Drew at noon.
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