PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University men's volleyball team collected its third-consecutive win on Wednesday night as the Valiants outlasted Purchase in four sets. The win (25-17, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23) moves the Valiants to 7-4 in Skyline Conference play, a half game behind Purchase in the standings for the No. 2 seed. Manhattanville now stands at 8-12 overall.

Returning to action for the first time since Feb. 21, Kyle Simmons (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial) was a welcome sight for the Valiants as the sophomore erupted for a season-high 17 kills. Simmons hit .424 on the night and added six digs and five blocks, including the rejection on match point.

Joe Gandarillas (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem HS East) and Trevor Kolar (South Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) provided seven kills apiece to compliment Simmons' leading effort. The attack primarily ran through Pedro Machado (Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil/Colegio Oficina) who finished with 28 assists and four kills, while Mason Moon (Rockport, Texas/Rockport-Fulton) also handled setting duties with 11 assists of his own. Machado also served a pair of aces as Manhattanville's leading server on the night.

Kolar's nine digs paced the Valiant defensive effort, with Evie Rapp (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) matching Simmons' six digs.

After dropping a three-setter at Purchase at the start of the month, the Valiants got the best of the Panthers early, swinging a staggering .625 in the opening set with 11 kills to just one error. Manhattanville came out strong, with kills from Gandarillas and Adrian Bonilla (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Baldwin School of Puerto Rico) coupled with Simmons and Bonilla teaming up for a block and two more Purchase errors spotting the home side an early 5-1 lead. Purchase chipped away at the deficit and were able to tie things up at 15-15 after winning three straight rallies. Gandarillas put the Valiants back ahead with a kill to begin a 9-1 Valiant run that brought Manhattanville to set point. Purchase extended the set with a Julai Rawlins kill but Simmons delivered the 25-17 winner with his fourth putaway of the set.

The Panthers outlasted the Valiants in the second, winning 25-23 as both teams hit around .03. The attack efforts fared marginally better in the third as Manhattanville was able to regain the set lead. The Valiants looked to be firmly in control after breaking a 2-2 tie with four-straight points, later using another four-point spurt to take a 13-7 lead. The Valiants led by as many as seven at 21-14 before Purchase came roaring back, scoring seven unanswered points to completely wipe Manhattanville's lead. After watching their advantage go up in smoke, Manhattanville regained the serve on a Panther service error. Momentum swung back into the favor of the home team as kills from Simmons and Gandarillas capped by a Machado ace gave the Valiants the 25-21 win.

The fourth set was the closest of the night, featuring 12 separate tied scores. The largest lead of either side was just three points as Purchase led 16-13 after winning four of five. The Valiants responded in short with their own 4-1 run to tie the set at 17-17. After four more tied scores pushed the frame to 22-22, Purchase regained the advantage on a Udel Phillips kill. Simmons tied the set once again with his 17^th kill of the night before a Purchase attack error and a Simmons-Justin Lau (Queens, N.Y./Benjamin N. Cardozo) block of Jael Martinez wrapped up the contest, 25-23.

Up Next
The Valiants begin their final road trip of the regular season on Saturday at Saint Joseph's Brooklyn at 3 p.m.

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