DUDLEY, Mass. (9/25/2026) – The Nichols College women's volleyball team picked up their first home win of the season tonight taking down the Manhattanville Valiants in four sets 3-1 (27-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-20) at the Nichols Athletics Center.
With the win the Bison move up to 2-11 (0-0 CNE) while the Valiants drop to 3-3 (0-0 SKYLINE).
Nichols was led offensively by
Alyssa Morse, who recorded 16 kills while hitting .282 on the night.
Sofia Novak added nine kills, while
Gabrielle McKayle chipped in eight. The Bison found success from the service line, with
Elizabeth Mullen leading the way with three aces. Morse and Novak each added two aces. Defensively at the net,
Ella Pratt tallied four blocks, while
Jhudny Pierre and
Rayna Joquin each added two.
Lena Heini led the Bison with 19 assists, while
Naseem Hennouch contributed 17. Heini also anchored the back row with 14 digs, while Hennouch added 13 and Morse and Novak each recorded 12. The Bison hit an impressive .144 clip.
The Bison battled through a back-and-forth opening set, trading points with Manhattanville early before taking an 8-5 lead behind kills from Novak and Pierre. The Valiants answered with a 6-3 run to pull even at 11-11, but Nichols continued to respond, with Morse and Novak providing key kills to keep the Bison within striking distance. After Manhattanville took a 19-16 lead, Nichols found another gear, rattling off five straight points to take a 21-19 advantage. The Valiants responded to tie the set at 22-22, but Nichols held firm in the closing points. With the set tied at 25-25, Pratt rose up for a crucial block before Novak finished the set with a kill, giving the Bison a 27-25 victory.
Manhattanville opened the second set with a 4-1 lead, but Nichols quickly answered with kills from Morse and Novak to pull within one. The Valiants took a 8-5 lead before a few timely Bison points brought them within striking distance. Nichols battled back, cutting the deficit to 21-19 before tying the set at 21-21 and taking a 22-21 lead. Manhattanville closed with the final four points, taking the set 25-23 to even the match.
The Bison put the heat back on in the third set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead behind a service ace from Hennouch and a set of Manhattanville errors. The Valiants responded to tie the set at 8-8, but the Bison regained the lead with kills from Novak and Morse. The two teams continued to trade points, eventually reaching a 17-17 deadlock. Nichols then found separation, scoring four straight points behind back-to-back kills from Morse and an ace from Novak to take a 20-17 lead. The Bison maintained control down the stretch, with a block from Pierre and Pratt helping Nichols extend its lead to 22-19. Nichols closed out the set at 25-21 after a Manhattanville service error, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Nichols came out strong in the fourth set, building an early lead before Manhattanville answered to tie the set at 5-5. The Bison then erupted for a 7-0 run, fueled by kills from Morse and a block from Joquin, to take a 12-5 advantage. Manhattanville cut the deficit to 12-10, but Nichols regained control and extended its lead to 17-12. The Valiants rallied late, pulling within 21-18, but Nichols closed out the set with four of the final five points, including a kill from Heini and an attack error to secure a 25-20 victory and the match.
The Bison will return home this Tuesday, September 29th, to face conference opponent the Endicott College Gulls at the Nichols Athletics Center at 6:00 PM.
