BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's volleyball team earned their firsts victory of the season on Saturday evening, splitting their doubleheader with Bryn Athyn College. The Gryphons took the first match in four sets before falling to the Lions 1-3 in the nightcap. SLC's Nate Davis totaled 48 kills on the day, including a double-double in the second match of the day.

Top Performers

• Davis totaled 28 kills in the day's first contest while racking up 20 kills and 14 digs in the final match of the day
• Kian Silva totaled eight kills and 22 assists in the second game in addition to his 23-assist effort to start the day
• Jason Ciron totaled 32 digs on the day while Lukas Gates led the way in the second match with 24

Match 1: SLC Wins 3-1

The Gryphons fell behind by one set, making a run at the end of the first set before falling 25-21 to the Lions. The second set would see the two teams keep close, with a four-point run by SLC being almost immediately answered by the Lions, who did the same a few rallies later. After an 18-17 Bryn Athyn lead, the Gryphons claimed the next four points thanks to a Nikos Diaz service ace and a kill by Davis. Four more kills by Davis would allow the Gryphons to take the set and tie the match. The third set saw the Gryphons get out to a 7-2 lead highlighted by a Ralph Calle-Schulz and Aidan Roney block, but the Lions would storm back to tie the set at seven points apiece. The two teams would then remain neck-and-neck until the Gryphons embarked on an 11-3 run highlighted by three straight Nate Davis kills to reach set point. After two Bryn Athyn points, an error by the Lions secured a second set victory for the Gryphons who were on the verge of taking their first match of the season. The fourth set saw the Gryphons maintain a small lead throughout the beginning stages of play before incremental three-point streaks allowed them to build up a 21-11 lead. After trading points with the Lions, a block by Davis and Roney secured the set and the match, giving SLC their first victory of the season.

Match 2: Bryn Athyn Wins 3-1

The second match was a near mirror image of the first, with the Gryphons taking the first set after a string of service aces by Davis gave them a 23-19 lead that would turn into a 25-22 victory on the heels of a Kian Silva kill. The second set saw the Lions get ahead but the Gryphons remained within striking distance until a five-point run by the visitors gave them a 22-13 lead late in the set. Two SLC errors a few rallies later gave the Lions a set victory and tied the match at one set apiece. The Gryphons would not let the Lions pull away in the third set, scoring four consecutive points to erase an early Bryn Athyn lead. The Gryphons narrowly held the lead, but a four-point swing thanks to four kills by the Lions allowed the visitors to take an 18-16 lead and threaten to take a 2-1 match lead. The Gryphons used a Nate Davis service ace and a Roney/Silva block to claim a 20-19 lead, but two late block errors by the Gryphons allowed the Lions to take the set and take a 2-1 lead in the match. The fourth and final set of the match would see neither team able to pull away, as three points was the most to separate the two throughout the set. The Gryphons would use a Calle-Schulz kill to get out to that lead, but a four-point run by the Lions a few rallies later returned the lead to the visitors. The teams would remain that close, with the hosts holding a 20-19 lead after back-to-back kills by Jozef Kandrac and the aforementioned Davis. The Lions then took the next three points and rounded out the set with a Blake Halterman kill to seal the set and the match.

Up Next

The Gryphons (1-6) will return to action late next week as they take some time off before traveling to York College on February 22nd for a 7:00 p.m. non-conference matchup with the Cardinals.