PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence College men's volleyball team and the Purchase College Panthers battled deep into the third set on Friday evening, with the Panthers eventually winning the set by a score of 29-27 and the match by a tally of 3-0. This was the first Skyline contest for the Gryphons, who will return to action in Bronxville on Wednesday, February 22nd.


By the Numbers

• Felix Massey led the Gryphons with a match-high 20 kills on 48 total attempts
• Juan Paris had two kills of his own but did the most work setting up teammates, totaling 15 assists for Sarah Lawrence
• Lance De Leoz had 13 digs and seven assists on the night

How it Happened

The Gryphons jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first set, but the Panthers would not go away, keeping the set close until they were able to go on a run to take a 16-15 lead. The two teams would trade points until the score was knotted up at 19 before the Panthers scored four straight points to take a 23-19 lead that would to an eventual 25-22 victory.

The second set would start off with the two teams playing very close, sitting at a 7-7 tie after a Purchase service error. The Panthers would take control of the set following that error, going on to take the next five points and win the set by a score of 25-14/

The final set would prove to be a marathon, as the two teams traded scoring runs to end up knotted up with match point on the line. The Gryphons would strike first, getting ahead by a score of 7-2 before the Panthers would go on a run to take a 10-9 lead and erase Sarah Lawrence's five point lead in its entirety. The two teams would struggle to pull away but a Purchase run would give them an 18-15 later in the set. The Gryphons would find themselves down 24-22 but refused to go down, scoring three straight points to go up 25-24 and on the verge of winning the set. The two teams would trade service errors before the Panthers scored twice to get to match point. Massey would get a point on a kill during the next play for the Gryphons to even the set up once again, but it would be followed by two Marcus Garguilo kills that would allow Purchase to win the set and the match.

Up Next

The Gryphons (0-6, Skyline 0-1) will return to Bronxville, N.Y. to host New Jersey City University on Wednesday, February 22nd.for their second Skyline match of the season.