PURCHASE, N.Y. – There were celebrations aplenty inside Kennedy Gymnasium on Tuesday night as the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team took down Farmingdale State in four sets to open Skyline Conference play. The Valiants improve to 6-4 overall with the win (26-24, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20), now winners of 36-straight matches against Skyline Conference teams stretching all the way back to October of 2022.
While the match itself was enough to get the energy out of the raucous crowd packing the bleachers, the Valiants had plenty of other reasons for excitement even before opening serve. Manhattanville raised its newly-stitched championship banner high upon the walls of Kennedy, documenting the third-straight Skyline Conference Championship title the team captured last November. Additionally, the Valiants celebrated Hispanic Heritage Night by adorning the baseline with the country flags of the team's nationalities.
With the pregame theatrics over, attention turned to the opener of Skyline play. Three days removed from surpassing 20 kills for the first time this season,
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) matched her season-high with 22 putaways to lead the Valiant attack effort. The senior outside also racked up 16 digs for her sixth double-double of the year and added a pair of assists and an ace.
Caylin Caballero (Eastvale, Calif./Walnut) extended her double-double streak to three-straight matches with 12 kills and 10 digs. The freshman added three blocks to match her single-match high.
Cassidy Fallon (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) continued her hot streak with another eight kills, now having recorded 25 across her last three contests.
After finishing with 26 assists in both ends of Saturday's tri-match,
Alana Rivera Torres (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) once again led the Valiants with 23 in Tuesday's outing, adding eight digs and three aces.
Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) provided another 15 helpers to feed the attack.
Kayla Jennings' (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) 23 digs led all players on the floor as she already circles in on 200 for the season ten matches into the campaign. With tonight's performance, Jennings sits at 196 digs for the season, surpassing her previous high of 194 from her rookie season in 2023.
As to be expected in the first meeting of conference play, neither side made it easy for the opposition. Eight separate tied scores and breaker points set the tone of the opening set. The Valiants were the beneficiaries of the night's first sustained run, scoring four straight after the Rams nabbed the opening point. Tied 4-4, a
Lea McIntyre (Lansingburgh, N.Y./Lansingburgh) kill and Ram attack error gave the Valiants the lead again that remained in the hands of the home team for a while. Manhattanville couldn't get much breathing room, but were able to build the lead up to 15-12 before Farmingdale's five-point spurt had the visitors in the lead. Neither team led by more than two from that point on before the Rams threatened with set point, up 24-23. A service error was just enough of an opening for the Valiants as a Caballero kill ahead of a Caballero-
Emily Brown (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) block earned set point for the Vals, 26-24.
The Rams evened the match at a set apiece with a 25-20 win in the second as the Valiants hit a match-worst -.029. Manhattanville rebounded to swing .366 in the third, recording 17 kills. The team would need all of them as the Rams continued to battle, tying the score six different times up to a 7-all opening score. The Valiants pulled away with a 6-1 run and held the lead up to 20-17. Farmingdale scored the next four to lead the for the first time since 5-4, but it would be short-lived before the Valiants scored five of the ensuing six, taking the 25-22 win on a Ram attack error.
Manhattanville opened up the fourth with an 8-4 lead after scoring six of seven. The lead never left the Valiants' hands from that point on. The Rams closed the gap to two on three occasions down the stretch, the latest at 22-20, but kills from Hernandez and McIntyre coupled with a final attack miscue gave the Valiants the deciding set 25-20 and continue their run through the Skyline Conference.
Up Next
The team ends the week in Schenectady, competing in the Union College tri-match on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.
VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads and YouTube. #WeAreValiant #GoValiants
