OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. - The Manhattanville University men's volleyball team got the final taste of tri-match action for the season. In prime doubleheader fashion, the Valiants secured two five-set wins over Purchase College and SUNY Old Westbury. The Valiants now sit at 13-15 overall and 11-5 in conference play.
Match One Recap: Manhattanville 3, Purchase 2 (25-19, 25-21, 25-27, 19-25, 18-16)
Kyle Simmons (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial) finished with 24 kills while Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East) added 14 to the mix, adding to the Valiants attack effort. With a five-set match, Manhattanville totaled 58 kills compared to the Panthers 55.
Mason Moon (Rockport, Texas/Rockport-Fulton) accounted for 44 assists of the teams 53. He also notched five digs and one service ace to help the Valiants on both offence and defense.
Defensively, Evan Rapp (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) logged 17 digs and Jake Rothluebbers (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union High School) tallied 12.
Manhattanville and Purchase kept the score close in the opening points before an attack error from the Panthers tied up the contest at 9-9. A six-point run from Purchase put the Panthers up 15-9 in the first set. A pair of kills from Moon and Gandarillas brought the Valiants back within three at 15-12. The Valiants would struggle to see a lead the remainder of the first set as the Panthers stood strong on the offensive. Three service errors and three attack errors from the Valiants would help the Panthers close out the first set 25-19.
The Valiants opened the second set with kills from Justin Lau (Queens, N.Y./Benjamin N. Cardozo) and Simmons to see a 6-1 lead. Manhattanville stayed persistent creating a seven-point lead at 9-2. The second stanza took a turn when the Panthers went on a seven-point run at 12-5 to tie the score at 12-12. The Valiants would tie the set three more times at 16-16 with a kill from Simmons, and at 17-17 and 18-18 with attack errors from the Panthers. Two service errors pegged down the Valiants offensively as Purchase collected the second set, 25-21.
Down two sets, the Valiants pulled through tackling the final three sets with determination. Taking the third set was no breeze as the score reached 27 points. The third stanza never saw a lead larger than three points for the entire set. Fighting point-for-point, the Valiants were able to hold onto a consistent lead for a majority of the set. The squads would see a good number of even points throughout the set before Manhattanville secured the win from three straight errors from the Panthers.
Manhattanville carried their momentum from the third set into the fourth, winning 25-19 to force a fifth and final set. The Valiants registered 15 kills on 32 attempts resulting in a .344 hitting percentage for the fourth set. Purchased struggled to keep pace notching 11 kills and hitting .129 for the set. Defensively, Manhattanville made critical stops at key moments to keep the lead the tie at 12-12. This fourth set was crucial in forcing the match to a fifth set where the Valiants would claim victory.
Purchase opened the final set with a 3-0 run before the Valiants came back with two kills from Rothluebbers and one from Gandarillas, alongside a service ace from Simmons. Manhattanville saw the largest lead of the contest with a six-point run extending the lead to 11-4. After several errors from the Valiants and a few kills from the Panthers, the score was now tied at 16-16. With the score tied, Manhattanville capitalized on a crucial kill from Rothluebbers and a timely block from Luis Granados (Pasadena, Calif./St. Francis) to finalize the contest, 18-16.
Match Two Recap: Manhattanville 3, Old Westbury 2 (25-20, 25-20, 24-26, 21-25, 15-13)
Simmons registered the highest number of kills in the second match with 18. Kylan Gretczko (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) was an offensive powerhouse, tallying 16 kills in the Valiants victory. Gandarillas continued to swing notching 14 kills, the third highest for Manhattanville this match.
Moon collected 58 assists in the Valiants offensive effort while also notching an extensive 22 digs on the defensive end. Rapp was just one dig ahead totaling 23 for this contest and Rothluebbers earned an impressive 24 digs.
Manhattanville was efficient the first two sets registering 16 in the first and 15 in the second. Old Westbury struggled on the offensive end earning a lower attacking percentage in the first two sets. The Valiants consistent defense and effective serving kept the Panthers from finding any rhythm with Manhattanville taking both sets 25-20.
Old Westbury mounted an impressive comeback in the third set, even leading with the opening points. The Valiants found themselves on an eight-point run taking the lead at 12-6 with three kills from Gretczko two from Simmons. The Valiants held a close lead up until the Panthers came back in the final moments of the third set. The Panthers fought back point-by-point tying the contest at 22-22 before overpowering the Valiants with a four-point run to win the set 26-24.
The Valiants earned 15 kills compared to the Panthers 14 in the fourth set. While Manhattanville led in kills, they struggled with a hitting percentage of .167. Old Westbury opened the set strong with a 7-1 lead. They led the contest until the Valiants tied up the match at 19-19 with a kill from Gretczko and then took the lead at 20-19 with a kill from Gandarillas. The Panthers took a four-point run and remained on top until the final point pushing the match to a fifth set, 25-21.
In the fifth set, Manhattanville clinched the victory with a 15-13 win over Old Westbury. The Panthers took the lead with the opening points at 3-2 and a tie at 7-7 and 8-8. Manhattanville was able to hold onto the lead the remainder of the time, closing out the contest with another five set thrilling victory.
Up Next
The Valiants celebrate senior day with a matchup against SJLI on Monday April 31 at 7:00pm
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