SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – It was another tri-match action split for the Manhattanville University women's volleyball team on Saturday as the Valiants bounced back from a four-set loss to host Union with a straight-set sweep of Nazareth to end the weekend on a high note. The split decisions bring Manhattanville to 7-5 overall on the year.

Match One Recap: Manhattanville 1, Union 3 (12-25, 25-23, 15-25, 16-25)
Searching for its first win against the Garnet Chargers since 1990, the Valiants were felled by the hosting Union College in Manhattanville's first action of the day.

Caylin Caballero's (Eastvale, Calif./Walnut) phenomenal rookie season continued with her fourth-straight double-double, posting 13 kills and 11 digs. The freshman finished second on the team in both categories in the loss.
Loren Hernandez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/American Military Academy) was the only other hitter to outdo Caballero on the kills front as Manhattanville's leading attacker provided 14 putaways. Samantha Andriola (Garden City South, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) also had a big role in the attack effort, finishing with a season-high seven kills.

Andriola teamed up with Alana Rivera Torres (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista de Guaynabo) to handle the setting duties, combining for 39 of Manhattanville's 45 total assists. Rivera Torres had 23, while Andriola accounted for 16.

Kayla Jennings (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) was all over the floor on the defensive end with a career-high 31 digs. The junior added three assists and an ace to her standout effort.

The Valiants had little answer to Union's attack in the opening set as the Garnet Chargers hit .444 to win 25-12. Manhattanville shook off the opening loss nicely, coming back with a match-high .256 clip in the second to even up the match. After 11 different tied scores, Union went on a 6-1 run to go in front late at 19-16, eventually furthering the lead to 21-17. Manhattanville responded with six unanswered points thanks to three kills from Caballero, a putaway and ace from Hernandez, and a Union attack error. The teams seesawed the next four rallies, allowing Caballero to put the Valiants on the board with a set-winning kill, 25-23.

Manhattanville was unable to replicate the second set success moving forward as the team swung .051 in the third and .122 in the fourth. The Garnet Chargers hit better than .260 over the next two sets, able to pull away in the third with an 8-2 run before opening the fourth with seven straight scores. The Valiants could not mount a response to either blow, dropping the third 25-15 and the fourth by a final of 25-16.

Match Two Recap: Manhattanville 3, Nazareth 0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-20)
It was a good bounce back effort from the Valiants later in the day against Nazareth, picking up its first three-set sweep since defeating Hilbert in straight sets back on Sept. 5.

The attack numbers did not leap off the page—Hernandez led Manhattanville with eight kills while the team only hit .108—but the Valiants held the Golden Flyers to an even .000 clip for the match and served a season-high 12 aces to roll to the win.

Once again leading the way defensively with 14 digs, Jennings was also the top performer on the line with six of Manhattanville's service aces. Izzy Mojica (Tolland, Conn./The Woodstock Academy) added three, with Hernandez providing two and Dominique Sanchez (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) accounting for the final one. While the Valiants' attack efforts were limited, Rivera Torres and Andriola set up the kills with 12 and eight assists, respectively.

Tied 5-5, a Caballero kill and dual block from Andriola and Cassidy Fallon (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) put the Valiants in front for good. Nazareth did not score again while holding the serve as Manhattanville gained separation with a number of short runs. Up 14-10, the Valiants put on the finishing touches with an 11-1 run that saw a pair of aces from Jennings and three from Mojica, including two in a row to take the opening set 25-11.

Neither attack found much success in set two as both sides hit negative. Manhattanville looked to be in control after winning ten-straight rallies to go up 12-5, but Nazareth took advantage of the Valiants' miscues, tying the score at 18-all following a 7-1 run. The Valiants regained momentum momentarily with five of the next six, lead by a pair of kills from Lea McIntyre (Lansingburgh, N.Y./Lansingburgh), but Nazareth rattled off the next four to tie the set at 23-23. The Golden Eagles opened the door for the Valiants with another attack error, sending Sanchez to the service line where she delivered the winning ace, 25-23.

The Valiant offense looked much more in tune in the third to complete the sweep, hitting a match-high .219. Manhattanville erased a four-point deficit with a 7-1 run to take an 11-9 lead. Nazareth tied it up again at 12-12, but a Hernandez kill and two more Golden Flyer errors put the Valiants back in front for good. Nazareth cut the lead down to two before the Valiants ended the day on a 4-1 spurt, bookended by kills from Caballero and Hernandez to secure the 25-20 win.

Up Next
Manhattanville has a week to prepare for the final tri-match of the season, heading into the Big Apple to take on William Smith and NYU starting at 1:30 p.m.

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