OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University men's volleyball team concluded the regular season road schedule on Tuesday night, sweeping a three-setter at Old Westbury. The win, the Valiants' fifth-straight, pushes Manhattanville into second place in the Skyline Conference standings in the final week of the season at 9-4 in conference play and 10-12 overall.

The Valiants hit .348 in the win, the team's second-best swing percentage this season behind only the .355 clip Manhattanville posted against Pratt on Feb. 5. Kyle Simmons (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial) and Trevor Kolar (South Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) continued to take charge in the attack effort, combining for 24 of the team's 44 kills. Simmons continues his dominant play since returning from injury with now three-straight double-digit kill totals since stepping back on the court last Wednesday. His 13 kills paced the Valiants' effort, now averaging a team-high 3.26 kills per set. Kolar, meanwhile, had 11 terminations to reach double figures for the fourth time in the team's last five matches. The rookie also led the way with three aces on the service line.

Joe Gandrillas added eight kills while leading the Manhattanville defensive effort with nine digs. Mason Moon (Rockport, Texas/Rockport-Fulton) added eight digs while Simmons and libero Evie Rapp (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) finished with seven each.

Pedro Machado (Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil/Colegio Oficina) and Moon split primary setting duties, combining for 36 of the Valiants' 41 assists. Machado led the way with 20 helpers, while Moon supplied another 16.

With the Valiants fighting for a top-two seed and a first round home match and Old Westbury looking to claw their way into the postseason picture, Tuesday's match carried the weight of a season reaching its culmination. Manhattanville was able to take care of business with a .321 hitting percentage in the opening set, although it did take a bit for the lead to develop. Seven different tied scores through the early going brought the set to a 9-9 tie, when an Adrian Bonilla (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Baldwin School of Puerto Rico) kill opened a 3-0 run to put the Valiants in front for good. The Panthers closed the gap to a one-point deficit before Manhattanville won five-straight points, getting a kill from Bonilla and Simmons, the duo teaming up for a block, a Kolar ace and an OW attack error. The Panthers were unable to fight all the way back from the run, getting as close as a three-point hole before the Valiants took the opener 25-23 on a Kolar putaway and two more Old Westbury attack errors.

It was the same story in set two as six tied scores led to another meeting at a 9-9 stalemate. A Panther service error opened the door for the Valiants as Manhattanville scored eight-straight points to blow the set open at 17-9. A serving error only halted the Valiant momentum momentarily as Manhattanville quickly responded with another three-point spurt. With the comfortable lead, the Valiants were able to close things out on the 25-14 second frame, capped off by a Simmons-Justin Lau (Queens, N.Y./Benjamin N. Cardozo) combo effort on the block ahead of a Panther set error.

The Valiants swung a match-high .387 in the third to complete the sweep as the Panthers were limited to just four kills. While the teams avoided a third-straight 9-9 tie, there were three early evened scores to get things started. The Panthers took an 8-7 lead on a service error before the Valiants went on a 9-0 run to firmly take control. Kolar had three kills as part of the run, while Gandarillas added two. There was little Old Westbury could do to mount a response, being held to just bursts of two points after Manhattanville's big run as the Valiants nabbed the win on a final kill from Simmons and a match-winning ace from Wilton Martinez (Bronx, N.Y./Celia Cruz Bronx HS of Music).

Up Next
The Valiants conclude the regular season on Friday, hosting Saint Joseph's Long Island at noon for Senior Day.

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