Riverdale, NY - A standout, Skyline Conference showdown took place in Riverdale on Saturday afternoon, pitting the University of Mount Saint Vincent against Manhattanville University in a tightly contested matchup.

The Dolphins showed resilience and fight throughout the afternoon, rallying from a two set deficit to force a fifth. It would be the Valiants, however, who emerged victorious (19-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-19, 14-16).

The end result put UMSV at 0-2 in conference play thus far.  

UMSV's attack was paced by freshman Raeden Nieves, who led the team with 17 kills. Classmate Jose Dominguez wasn't far behind with 14 of his own, while both consistently found ways to break Manhattanville's defense in the middle frames.

Tyler Hanna also made his presence felt with 11 kills and contributed at the net defensively, while Christian Ferrer  helped helped orchestrate the offense with a career-high 48 assists in his young career. On the defensive end, Dominguez and Nieves led UMSV with 14 and nine digs, respectively, giving the Dolphins extra possessions in several extended rallies.

Yestro Luciano Jr. also had a strong showing with seven kills and two blocks, while Terrence Short came up clutch with big strikes in the final two sets.

The match opened with the Dolphins and Valiants trading blows in the first set, with UMSV battling throughout. The Dolphins tightened their play in the two set losses to regain form in the third, where Nieves and Dominguez found consistent hitting to take the third. The Dolphins continued their success into the fourth, with Nieves, Dominguez, Ferrer, Luciano Jr. and Short all chipping in offensively.

Overall, the Dolphins' performance proved that the group is ready to take the next step as a program. They'll look to get back in the win column on Tuesday against Old Westbury.