How We Got Here
The Valiants won their eighth conference title in the fall after going 10-2 on the season while carrying a 6-1 mark against the Skyline. Manhattanville earned the No. 2 seed for the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament, defending their home court with a 4-0 win against No. 3 Saint Joseph's Long Island before defeating Farmingdale 4-2 in the finals on the road.

Manhattanville's last time on the court for competition was all the way back in October in that championship match, as all of the Valiants' scheduled spring contests were canceled due to weather.

The Mammoths earned an at-large bid and serve as hosts for the pod after an 11-7 overall record and a 7-3 mark in the NESCAC. Amherst was defeated 4-3 in the NESCAC semis, but was able to put together a strong enough resume to get the call as one of the 12 at-large selections for the tournament, thanks in no small part to the contributions of the team's five All-NESCAC selections. Amherst is ranked No. 16 in the national ITA rankings and No. 7 in the Northeast Regional rankings.

All-Conference Stars Aplenty
Both teams were highly decorated with respective all-conference accolades. Adrianna Filippelli (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) was the Skyline Conference Player of the Year, becoming the fifth player in program history to earn the recognition after going 9-2 in singles and 12-0 in doubles during the fall. She was joined on the First Team by Addison Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y./High School for Health Professions and Human Services) and Amaya Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y./High School for Health Professions and Human Services), with the twins going 11-1 and 9-1 respectively in singles. Addison would post an 11-1 doubles record, while Amaya went 10-1 in duos. Rounding out All-Conference accolades, Jenifer Lalman (Schenectady, N.Y./Schenectady) made the Second Team with a perfect 12-0 singles mark and a 9-3 doubles record, earning Skyline Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolades for her efforts in the postseason.

While she did not see action in the fall, Suzi Doyle (Devon, England/Exeter College) is also back in action for Friday after being an All-Conference First Team selection in 2024 with a 14-3 singles and 15-2 doubles record last year.

For Amherst, Tina She was named the NESCAC Player of the Year and currently ranks No. 4 in the nation individually. The sophomore is 21-4 overall on the year, having lost just twice in the spring season. Sophie Diop, Cody Huang, Lily Dounchis and Karolina Dobiecka joined She with All-NESCAC accolades.

History and Looking Ahead
Friday will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Manhattanville is making its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after making the dance in 2024 when they were defeated 5-0 by The College of New Jersey in the First Round. Amherst, meanwhile, is making their 29^th NCAA Tournament appearance and advanced to the Third Round last year before falling to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 4-2.

Friday's winner will take on the victor of Swarthmore and Simmons on Saturday at 2 p.m.