PURCHASE, N.Y. – The story of the young Manhattanville University men's volleyball team added a new chapter on Tuesday night as the Valiants captured their first-ever postseason victory in their sophomore season. Fourth-seeded Manhattanville took down neighboring rival No. 5 Purchase in a three-set sweep in the Skyline Conference Championship First Round to advance to the semifinals.
Playing the Panthers for the third time in the last ten days, Manhattanville improved to 3-0 against Purchase on the season. There was a feeling of déjà vu as the match played out in a nearly identical fashion as lats Thursday's regular season finale between the two teams—an opening set that needed extras to determine a winner, a dominant second frame by Manhattanville, and the Panthers clawing to the end in the third set with the Valiants outlasting the opposition.
After being named an All-Conference selection earlier in the day,
Kyle Simmons (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial) continued to do what he had done all season and pilot the Manhattanville attack. The freshman finished with 16 kills to lead all players on the court, setting a new program record for most kills in a year with 296.
Kylan Gretczko (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) saved one of his best performances of the season for the playoffs, with his 12 kills the second-most he's posted in a match this year.
Jake Rothluebbers (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union High School) also shined under the bright lights, posting a season-best 10 kills for a second-straight match.
Simmons also finished as Manhattanville's defensive leader with nine digs, with Rothluebbers and
Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East) adding five each.
Mason Moon (Rockport, Texas/Rockport-Fulton) added four digs while supplying 41 of Manhattanville's 44 assists. Moon also had his serve working, racking up three aces, a total matched only by Rothluebbers.
With Thursday's first set being decided with a 26-24 score, it was only appropriate for Tuesday night to open with another marathon frame. Purchase hit a match-high .325 in the opener, scoring five straight to begin the night before eventually putting the Valiants in an 11-2 hole. The Valiants dug out of the hole with nine of the next 11 points to come back to life and bring the score to 13-11. The Panthers were able to maintain grasp of the lead up to set point at 24-22. After getting back to within a single point twice earlier, crucial kills from Rothluebbers and Gretczko completed the comeback to even things up at 24-24. The Valiants went on to take four of the next six with Rothluebbers delivering the final blow with a set-winning ace, 28-26.
Fueled by the incredible comeback, Manhattanville dominated set two. The Valiants hit .357 while Purchase's six kills were erased by as many errors. The Panthers only mustered three two-point runs, unable to keep pace with a Manhattanville attack that was firing on all cylinders. A 5-0 run put the home side in the driver's seat up 8-2, and would use a pair of four-point spurts to firmly pull away. The final run delivered set point, with Simmons logging the 25-12 winning kill.
The Panthers rebounded with a much stronger effort in the third as their season hung in the balance. Manhattanville's attack cooled to a .226 clip while Purchase sported a .269 attack percentage. The Valiants looked poised to make quick work of a second-straight set, breaking a 3-3 tie with eight of the next nine points to jump out to an 11-4 lead. The Panthers opted to give the Valiants a taste of their own medicine, taking over to eventually tie the set at 19-19. The sides continued to trade blows up to a 22-22 tie where a pair of kills from Gretczko put the Valiants on the doorstep of the first postseason victory. Hector Ruiz kept Purchase alive with a kill, but Gandarillas called match in the ensuing rally with his final kill of the night, sending Manhattanville to the semifinals with a 25-23 third-set win.
Up Next
The Valiants head to Patchogue on Thursday to take on top-seeded Saint Joseph's Long Island at 7 p.m. with a spot in the championship finals awaiting the victor.
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