Box Score
JAMAICA, N.Y. – Despite winning the team's first set of the season, Sarah Lawrence College women's volleyball was unable to rally from a 2-0 deficit and fell, 3-1, to York College in non-conference play at York College Gymnasium on Thursday.

In the opening set, a service ace by sophomore Kitty O'Sullivan (Los Angeles, Calif., Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy) helped Sarah Lawrence to a 4-0 run and an early 7-4 lead. York snapped back with an 8-1 run, including a pair of kills by freshman Allison Li (Brooklyn, N.Y./Hunter Science), to give the Cardinals a 12-8 edge.

Later, the Gryphons broke a four-point streak with a timeout, and the solid service of senior setter Brooklynn Moore (Oakland, Calif., Santa Catalina) added six unanswered points to put Sarah Lawrence back on top at 17-16. From there, York, aided by four Gryphon attack errors in the final 10 points, cruised to a 25-19 win in the set.

In the second set, York catapulted to an early 12-3 advantage, but Sarah Lawrence chipped away at the deficit thanks to three kills from first-year player Jomana Abdallah (Anaheim, Calif., Fairmont Prep Academy), putting the Gryphons back in the mix and down only one point at 22-21. Nevertheless, the Cardinals were able to squeak out the final points necessary to capture the stanza, 25-23.

Sarah Lawrence's late second-set momentum carried forward into the third set, as the Gryphons' hitting improved dramatically. First-year player Zoë Spanbroek (Boca Raton, Fla., Saint Andrew's) tallied two kills early—and had four in the set—to lift Sarah Lawrence to a 10-5 lead. York closed the gap to 10-9, but Moore went on a five-point tear with two service aces to earn Sarah Lawrence an 18-11 upper hand. The Cardinals tacked on a few points but never threatened, and the Gryphons got on the scoreboard with a 25-18 set.

The fourth set saw York regain control of the match, and a 7-0 run by the host team put Sarah Lawrence in a 12-6 hole. Sophomore Gryphon Alexis Chapman (Bend, Ore., Bend) served up a foursome of points, including a service ace, to bring her team back at 12-11, but the Cardinals again pulled away to 21-13, and slid through with a 25-21 set to seal the match.

Spanbroek and Moore both scored a match-high five service aces, while Spanbroek's eight kills topped all Gryphons. Moore totaled 23 assists, and sophomore Molly Busk led all players with 18 digs. Sophomore Xina Graham-Vannais (Newtown, Pa., George School) had the Gryphons' lone block in the match.

York's Stayce Kay Muirhead (St. Catherine, Jamaica / Star Early College) was the only player credited with double-digit kills, notching 10 for the Cardinals. She also contributed 2.5 blocks on the day.

Sarah Lawrence heads to NYU-Poly for a two-day tournament this weekend. The Gryphons' schedule includes matches against the host Blue Jays and Farmindale State College on Sat, Sept. 15, before they rematch York and challenge Montclair State University on Sun., Sept. 16.