BROOKLYN, N.Y. - En route to their sixth-straight victory, the Manhattanville University men's volleyball team earned a decisive victory over St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, 3-0, on Wednesday night at The Hill Center.
Over the six-game stretch, the Valiants have only dropped two sets, registering a mark of 18 sets to two for their counterparts.
Manhattanville shared the love with the hitting duties, as five Valiants had five or more kills in the contest.
Kyle Simmons (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial) led the attack for the Valiants with 14 kills.
Emil Medrano (San Cristobal, Republica Dominicana/HS for Environmental Studies),
Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East), and
Kylan Gretczko (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) all finished with nine kills apiece.
Mason Moon (Rockport, Texas/Rockport-Fulton) conducted the offense for the Vals, dishing out 37 assists in the three sets. Defensive duties were paced by Simmons with ten digs, and
Evan Rapp (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore), who finished with seven.
In the first set, both teams traded blows to see the match sit at 14-all. Manhattanville was then able to spark a 6-1 run with help from a few Bears' errors and kills by the Valiant attack, pinning the score at 20-15. Manhattanville would then take the next five out of eight points to capture the first set, 25-18. The Valiants hit their best on the night in this first set, to a mark of .429 percent, with 17 kills to only five errors.
The second set was a game of runs for the Valiants, as they crimson and white embarked on three separate scoring spurts, eventually settling the score at 18-8, capped off by two service aces from
Camillo Maiocco (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining). The Bears would attempt to claw back into the set, but the Valiants shut the door after three straight kills from the Valiant hitters, taking the second set 25-16. Manhattanville forced the St. Joe's to their worse offensive performance of the night, hitting at a clip of -.167 percent.
The third and final set was a back-and-forth affair, as both teams played tag trying to get a margin of more than three points, leading the game to sit evened at 19-19 before
Justin Lau (Queens, N.Y./Benjamin N. Cardozo) stepped to the service line. Off the freshman's service, the Valiants captured the next six of seven points, polished off by five kills in the final blow, taking the final set 25-20, and the match 3-0.
Up Next
The Valiants get ready for an early 10:00 a.m. start time as they continue their road spell with the Yeshiva tri-match, on Sunday in New York, N.Y.
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