BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's volleyball team hosted Purchase College on Tuesday night for a tightly-played Skyline matchup. The Gryphons and Panthers battled through four close sets before the visitors escaped with a 3-1 victory.

Top Performers

• Nate Davis led the way offensively with 24 kills and two service aces, adding in 15 digs on the defensive side
• Kian Silva totaled 29 assists on 36 total kills by SLC and the junior added a service ace as well
• Derek Hickman earned two solo blocks in addition to three block assists while also helping out with a service ace on the offensive side of the court

How it Happened

The Gryphons and Panthers set the tone for the whole match early on, refusing to separate by more than two points throughout the majority of the first set. The Gryphons finally took three straight points, thanks to a double block by Davis and Hickman and a kill by Ralph Calle-Schulz, giving the hosts a 20-18 lead. The Panthers responded immediately, keeping the Gryphons off the board for the remainder of the set as they took the final seven points, including a huge double block to reach set point, gaining an early-match advantage.

The second set started off heavily in favor of the visitors, getting out to an 8-4 advantage before a Derek Hickman kill started a 3-0 run that reduced the lead to one. The teams continued to trade points until a four-point swing in favor of the Gryphons gave the home team a 15-12 lead. The teams continued to alternate scores, with the hosts remaining on top with a 20-17 lead late in the set. The Panthers slowly worked their way back, using a string of kills by Tyler Ryan to tie the set at 22 points apiece a few rallies later. An Aidan Roney kill returned the lead to the Gryphons, but an immediate answer from Purchase's Nate Matthie returned the set to a draw. After a Purchase error, the visitors struck again to even the score, but this time followed that kill up with another to reach set point at 25-24. The Gryphons responded again with a Nicholas Fajardo kill and an ensuing PC error gave SLC their turn at set point with a score of 26-25. Despite the advantageous situation, the Panthers took the final three points of the set, with another double block to reach set point and a kill by Matthie to claim the set.

Set number three played out very similar to the first set, with neither team able to separate themselves from the other at the onset. The Panthers found themselves with a narrow lead about halfway through the set, claiming a 12-10 advantage before the Gryphons took five consecutive points. A kill by Roney kicked off the run and a huge double block by the sophomore alongside Jozef Kandrac continued the scoring. Two Davis kills followed and a PC error gave the Gryphons a 15-12 advantage. After trading points for two straight turns, three straight kills by Davis and Calle-Schulz gave the hosts a 19-14 lead and the promise of starting the comeback. The Gryphons used two more PC errors in the following few rallies to take a 21-16 lead, but the Panthers would redeem themselves with four straight points to bring the score to 21-20. An error by the visitors halted their momentum, but after exchanging kills and a setting error by the hosts, the score found itself a 23-23, with the Panthers on the verge of a victory and the Gryphons hoping to extend the match. A Purchase service error on the next possession would give SLC the first set point of the third set and the Gryphons would capitalize, forcing another Purchase error to take the set by a score of 25-23 and hoping to start a comeback down two sets to one.

The fourth set was the first of the day that saw both teams embark on multiple scoring runs. The Panthers took the first three points only to be immediately answered by four straight SLC scores. Despite the runs, the two teams refused to separate once again, finding themselves knotted up at 10 points apiece. An Aidan Roney kill a few rallies later gave the Gryphons a 14-13 lead, but four straight points by the Panthers swung the momentum and the score in favor of the visitors. The Panthers would pull ahead to a 21-17 lead thanks to another kill by Tyler Ryan, but the Gryphons would capitalize on PC's mishaps, using three errors by the visitors to reduce the lead to 22-21 as the set came to a close. A service error by the Gryphons and another kill by PC's Ryan gave the Panthers match point with the Gryphons needing to score three consecutive points in order to keep their hopes alive. The team did just that, forcing three PC errors, highlighted by a huge solo block from Derek Hickman to tie the contest at 24. Ryan would not let the Panthers down, earning a kill on the next rally and acing the Gryphons on the consequent serve to give the Panthers a 26-24 set victory and a 3-1 match victory after a hard-fought battle.

Up Next

The Gryphons (2-9, Skyline 1-3) will return to the Campbell Sports Center on Thursday as they play host to the Golden Eagles of St. Joseph's Long Island at 7:00 p.m. SLC will then travel to Patchogue for a Skyline tri-match featuring the hosting Golden Eagles as well as the Roadrunners of Ramapo College.