KINGS PARK, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence women's volleyball team faced off against the Merchant Marine Academy in a five-set thriller on Friday night. The Gryphons took the opening set before the Mariners rallied to win the second and third before another SLC win set up a decisive set.

Notable Performers

• Nikolet Vataj totaled 26 kills and 21 digs in an efficient performance
• Athena Kazos put up 20 kills and 14 digs, surpassing the 1,000 kill mark
• Sophia Costa racked up 43 assists for her second-straight 40-assist match. She also added 20 digs
• Milly Guemple had 16 digs and three assists in the five-setter

How it Happened

The Mariners got off to a quick start in the first set, taking a 7-1 advantage despite an early kill from Vataj. Kills from Kazos, Vataj and Carolyn Kelly helped close the gap, but it was a double-block by Vataj and Olivia Richard partnered with an Eve Iceton kill that brought the Gryphons within two points. The Mariners answered with three scores of their own, but the visitors would take seven of the next eight points and take their first lead of the match by a score of 21-20. The most important score of the run would be to bring the Gryphons within two, as Kazos became the first player in program history to tally 1000 kills. The senior, who sits atop many of the program's career leaderboards, is the program-leader.  A few rallies later, a kill by Vataj gave the Gryphons set point, but the set would not be over yet. The hosts would be in control late, eventually taking a 27-26 lead and threatening to take the opening set. After a USMMA service error tied the set up again, a kill by Kazos gave the team set point, and an error by the hosts secured the set for the Gryphons.

The second set started off in a similar way, with USMMA jumping ahead to an 8-4 lead. This time, the hosts would prevent the Gryphons from going on a run as they did in the first set, and they would stay ahead to close out the set by a score of 25-16. The third set would be a similar story, with a 12-4 USMMA lead turning into a 25-15 victory to go up two sets to one in the match. The fourth set was neck-and-neck from the onset, with a double block by Brynn Beck and Kelly knotting it up at four points apiece. A pair of Kazos kills would put the Gryphons on top and they would maintain an advantage for the remainder of the set. The hosts would inch closer and close the gap to one point late, but back-to-back kills by Vataj and Kazos gave the Gryphons match point, and a USMMA error a few rallies later sent the match to a decisive fifth set.

In the final set of the day, the back-and-forth play continued. Vataj started the set off with a kill before the Gryphons built a 4-2 lead on the back of a score from Richard. USMMA took the next rallies before Kazos stepped up to stop the run. A strong serving stretch from Alex Pantoliano, including a pair of aces, forced a pair of Merchant Marine timeouts and put the Grpyhons up 11-7. The hosts stopped the bleeding by answering with two points of their own, but the Gryphons built up a 14-11 lead. The hosts did not go down without a fight, taking the next seven points to tie the match and seal the win, using a double block to get to match point before an Erin Stillinger kill to wrap up the night.

Up Next

The Gryphons (10-10, Skyline 5-2) will return to action on Tuesday as they head to Brooklyn for a matchup with St. Joseph's Brooklyn at The Hill Center. The team will then return to the Campbell Sports Center for home matches on Thursday and Saturday, the latter being their 2025 Senior Day.