PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University men's volleyball team earned its first-ever home playoff game as regular season action wrapped on Thursday night with the Valiants taking down neighboring rival Purchase College in three sets. With the win (26-24, 25-12, 25-22), Manhattanville secured the No. 4 seed for next week's Skyline Conference Championship Tournament and will host Purchase on Tuesday for the postseason's opening round. The Valiants conclude the regular season with a 14-16 record overall and a 12-6 mark in conference play.

Entering the night as the final game to be played across the entire Skyline Conference regular season and neck-and-neck in the standings in fourth and fifth place, the Valiants got the job done on a .292 attack percentage, the team's best mark in the last six matches.

Kyle Simmons (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial) led the Valiants with 12 kills, closing out the regular season with 280 kills, six shy of Wilton Martinez' (Bronx, N.Y./Celia Cruz Bronx HS of Music) single-season record from the inaugural campaign a year ago.  Jake Rothluebbers (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union High School) put up a season-best 10 kills along with a team-high 10 digs for a double-double, while Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East) provided another seven putaways.

Simmons and Gandarillas also joined Rothluebbers as Manhattanville's defensive leaders with eight and six digs, respectively. Evan Rapp (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) and Mason Moon (Rockport, Texas/Rockport-Fulton) collected three digs apiece.

On the topic of Moon, the junior provided 36 of the Vals' 40 assists. Gandarillas and Rapp supplied the other four helpers.

Manhattanville totaled six blocks over the course of the night, led by Luis Granados (Pasadena, Calif./St. Francis) logging one solo block and four block assists.

With their last meeting over the weekend going a full five sets, the first frame was unsurprisingly a back-and-forth battle that stretched past set point. The Valiants looked to be in control from the start, opening on a 7-1 run. Manhattanville's lead peaked at nine points with the Valiants building up to a 20-11 advantage. The Panthers roared to life, scoring seven straight points to suddenly make it a game again. Purchase notched five of the next seven to take their first lead at 23-22. After watching the lead go up in smoke, the Valiants were able to settle in and get to set point following a Simmons kill and Purchase attack error at 24-23. The Panthers held on a bit longer after a Valiant service error before a Rothluebbers kill and Simmons ace put Manhattanville up with a 26-24 victory.

The second set showcased a dominant effort from Manhattanville who hit .476 to Purchase's -.067. The Valiants committed just two errors and shored up their play, using a 9-0 run to take a 12-3 lead. Purchase never got closer than a nine-point deficit as Manhattanville cruised to the 25-12 win.

The Valiants cooled off as the Pathers re-found their footing for a more competitive third set. It was Purchase grabbing the early upper hand with a 5-3 opening lead. The Panthers remained in front up to the 8-6 mark, where Manhattanville embarked on a 6-1 run to go up 12-9. The lead never left the Valiants' side of the court, with Manhattanville soon after scoring six straight to further the advantage at 18-10. A Rothluebbers kill brought the Valiants to the brink of victory up 24-16 before Purchase delivered its final stand with six straight points to get back within a pair at 24-22. Simmons put any final thoughts of a comeback to bed with his 12^th termination of the night to lock up the No. 4 seed for the Valiants.

Up Next
The two teams will meet again on Tuesday night, this time inside Kennedy Gymnasium for the opening round of the 2025 Skyline Conference Championship Tournament.

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