SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University women's volleyball team returned to play on Saturday afternoon with the Valiants splitting tri-match action. Manhattanville was able to knock off Plattsburgh State in four sets in the neutral-court tilt, but the Valiants were bested by hosting Skidmore in a four-setter. With the results, Manhattanville carries a 5-4 overall record into the new week when conference play will get underway.

Match One Recap: Manhattanville 3, Plattsburgh 1 (25-19, 25-14, 27-29, 25-13)
Fueled by the team's highest attack percentage since the season opener, Manhattanville swung a .294 clip to take the Valiants' opening action in Saratoga Springs.

Double-doubles from Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) and Caylin Caballero (Eastvale, Calif./Walnut) paced the Valiants as the duo combined for 34 kills and 21 digs. Hernandez posted a 19 putaway, 11 dig effort for her fifth double-double of the year. The senior has now earned one in all five matches that she's reached double figures in digs. For Caballero, the 15 kills, 10 dig effort not only marked season highs for the rookie, but was also good for her first collegiate double-double.

Cassidy Fallon (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) also made an impact on the offensive front with the freshman's seven kills and two aces both setting new personal benchmarks.

Only Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) outdid Hernandez and Caballero's play defensively, with the two-time Skyline Libero of the Week finishing with 24 digs. It was the fourth time this season the junior Jennings collected 20 or more digs, the first since providing 21 against Brockport on Sept. 6.

Alana Rivera Torres' (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) 26 assists marked a new season high, while the junior setter also provided six digs and two aces. Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) was good for 12 assists, reaching double-digits for the first time since Sept. 6, while Jennings added five.
Opening the match on a 6-1 run, Manhattanville was firmly in control after a 5-0 run to go up 11-3. The Cardinals threatened late, coming back to withing three at a 21-18 score, but the Valiants took care of business with four of the next five, nabbing the 25-19 win on a Cardinal attack error.

The Valiants swung .400 in the second set, logging 16 kills to just four errors. Another fast 6-1 start had Manhattanville in the driver's seat, this time able to hold off Plattsburgh from the get-go. With the Cardinals trailing 11-8, the Valiants gained breathing room with an 6-0 run fueled by four Hernandez kills and a pair of Fallon aces. Jennings soon after delivered the final below with an ace to win 25-14.

The Cardinals prolonged the day by taking a marathon of a third set that saw 11 different tied scores and needed breaker points to determine a winner. The largest lead for either side in the frame sat at three points, but it was ultimately Plattsburgh that stood tall as the Valiants got to match point up 27-26 before the Cards scored three straight to send the match to the fourth, winning 29-27.

That would be all for the Cardinal magic as Plattsburgh went negative in the fourth while Manhattanville logged 12 kills to two errors. The result was the most lopsided set of the day, with the Valiants taking the match with a 12-point victory. Trailing 7-5, a Caballero kill kickstarted a 6-0 Valiant run to put Manhattanville in front for good. Manhattanville would use another six-point swing capped off by a final 4-0 spurt to win the match 25-13 to bring an end to the team's three-match slide.

Match Two Recap: Manhattanville 1, Skidmore 3 (23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 13-25)
The finale was not as favorable for the Valiants, as Manhattanville was able to hand with the Thoroughbreds for most of the day and taking a frame before fatigue began to show.

Hernandez recorded 22 kills, surpassing 20 for the first time this season and overall since last November's Skyline Conference Semifinals victory over Sarah Lawrence when she had 23.

Caballero made it two-for-two in double-double bids, finishing the roadtrip with a 13 kills, 13 dig display. Once again, the rookie outside trailed only Jennings in the defensive category who finished the loss with 19.

Fallon's breakout day continued as she reached 10 kills for the first time in her career, thanks to a season-high .438 attack percentage.

Rivera Torres and Andriola continued to split setter duties, combining for 44 of the Valiants' 50 total assists. Rivera Torres matched her season-high from the earlier bout with 26 sets alongside three aces, a total matched by Jennings for the team lead, while Andriola helped out with 18, her most since her 22-fer in the season-opener against WestConn on Aug. 30.

The teams battled to eight tied scores in the opening set. Manhattanville looked to start running away with six straight points to go in front 15-10, but Skidmore responded in short order with nine unanswered. The Valiants were able to even things up again at 20-all, but unable to sustain a run ultimately fell in the opener, 25-23.

Manhattanville led by as many as six in set two, building out a 10-4 opening run, but the Thoroughbreds chipped away as the frame progressed. The Valiants were held without a multipoint run as Skidmore came back to even things up 19-all. Manhattanville was finally able to scored while controlling the serve for the first time since claiming the six-point lead, scoring three straight to go up 21-18. Manhattanville got as close to set point as a 23-19 lead before the home team delivered another painful below with six straight to come back from the dead and win another 25-23 final.

The Valiants played their best ball in the third, hitting .361 with 16 kills. Manhattanville set the tone with the first six points and never let go of the lead. Up 14-9, the Valiants scored the next six to put the set out of reach, getting on the board off a Fallon kill, 25-17.

Skidmore adjusted as Manhattanville went cold in the fourth, with the Valiants swinging -.086. Back-to-back kills from Hernandez put Manhattanville in front 2-1 to open play before the Thoroughbreds rattled off seven-straight points. The Valiants attempted to play catchup the rest of the way before a nine-point run from Skidmore all but put the match to bed. Manhattanville refused to roll over, scoring six of the next eight, but the scoreboard was not on the Valiants' side as Skidmore closed out the win, 25-13.

Up Next
The Valiants get the first taste of Skyline Conference action for 2025 on Tuesday, hosting Farmingdale State at 6 p.m. Manhattanville will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Night in addition to raising the 2024 Skyline Conference Championship banner pregame.

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