New Rochelle, NY - October 30, 2011

The Gryphons lost to Pratt on Sunday, October 30, during the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference Quarterfinals held at College of New Rochelle. The match went four games, with the Gryphons battling back in the third set to make their mark against the Cannoneers.

Sarah Lawrence lost the first two games by an ever-narrowing margin, going 12-25 in the first game and 22-25 in the second. With their semi-final hopes on the line, the Gryphons, who have worked as a team throughout the season, pulled together once more to beat the Cannoneers by two points, forcing the best-of-five series onto at least one more game.

Going into the fourth game with the come-from-behind win, spirits were high, but the Gryphon's tenacity fell just shor ton the day. Pratt won the fourth and final game 25-12, ending the Gryphons shot at the Semifinals.

Following the Semifinal and Final rounds, which were also held that day, #1 seeded Culinary defeated #2 seeded St. Joe's in three straight sets to win the conference title for 2011.

The quarterfinals were originally scheduled for October 29, at the Campbell Sports Center, though play was postponed until Sunday due to the weekend's storm.

Following the Championships, the All-Conference Team was announced with Gryphon First Year Right-Side/Middleblocker Xina Graham-Vannais (Newtown, Pa./George School) getting a nod for a season's worth of hard-hitting play.  

"Xina is a spark-plug whose aggressive defense and tenacious offense have made a tremendous impact on our overall team play," said Head Coach Krishna Dass. "She has continuously improved throughout the season and deserves the recognition as a conference all-star."

Dass added of all of her players this year, "With the entire roster of players donning first year status, the future looks bright for the women's volleyball team. With a year of experience under their belt, I am confident that the team will be at the top of the conference in the coming years."