FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence women's volleyball team took down Farmingdale State College in another five-set thriller on Tuesday night, as the team's battled through five sets in the third consecutive Skyline First Round. The Gryphons took an early 2-0 lead with victories in each of the first two sets before securing a spot in the semifinals with a dominant fifth-set win.
Notable Performers
How it Happened
The hosting Rams jumped ahead early, taking a 6-2 lead thanks to scores by four different players. The hosts maintained their lead, extending the advantage to seven points midway through the set via a 14-7 scoreline. Vataj would step up alongside Costa and
Olivia Richard to answer with five straight SLC scores, bridging the gap and bringing the Gryphons within two. After an FSC score to stop the run, the Gryphons rinsed and repeated, taking six of the next seven points thanks to kills by Richard and Kazos and blocks by Kazos, Richard,
Eve Iceton and
Carolyn Kelly. After the run, the visitors would hold an 18-16 lead, erasing the early Farmingdale advantage. An SLC error returned service to the hosts, but a Kazos kill and an
Alex Pantoliano ace bookended a three-point swing for SLC to increase their advantage to four points. The Rams rallied for three straight in response, making it a one-point set, but Kazos and Vataj would earn back-to-back kills before a Costa/Kelly block gave the team set point. Costa would then find Vataj for the final score of the set, giving SLC a first-set victory and putting them in the driver's seat.
The second set was the definition of a back-and-forth affair as the two teams remained close throughout. Four early FSC errors gave the Gryphons a 5-3 lead, but the teams exchanged points until a 10-10 stalemate. The teams tied 10 more times in the set as kills from Kazos, Kelly and Richard and a Vataj ace coupled with some errors by the visitors kept the Gryphons in the set. After the last tie of the set at 22-22, Kazos secured a kill before a pair of FSC errors gave the Gryphons a two-set lead in the match, threatening to advance to the semifinals in straight sets. A 7-0 SLC lead in the third set made the threat seem real, but a 6-0 run moments later let the hosts tie the set at 10 and erase the early Sarah Lawrence advantage. The Gryphons battled back to take an 18-17 lead after kills by Iceton and Vataj, but the Rams would answer every SLC score, as the teams found themselves knotted up at 22 points apiece. An SLC service error and an FSC ace back-to-back gave the Rams set point before another error gave the hosts a third-set victory.
The fourth set saw another early SLC lead put the Gryphons in control, this time by a score of 9-4. It would be a 10-1 run by the hosts a few rallies later that would put the Rams in control, with a 15-11 lead. Despite an ace by Kelly and kills from Vataj, Kazos and
Brynn Beck, the Rams would hold on for a 25-19 victory and force a decisive fifth set for the third consecutive postseason matchup between the two teams. The fifth set was the most dominant performance of the evening. After a set-opening ace by the Rams, the Gryphons took 12 consecutive points as Vataj posted four kills while Richard and Beck converted on a pair of opportunities each. A solo block by Richard helped the Gryphons to the lead, as the team took full control of the final set. The Rams momentarily stopped the bleeding, but kills from Vataj and Kazos kept the visitors from gaining any momentum and a double block by Beck and Kelly secured the victory, sending the Gryphons to the Skyline Semifinals.
Up Next
The Gryphons will return to action for a 2024 Skyline Semifinal rematch against the top-seeded Manhattanville Valiants on Thursday, November 13th. The Gryphons and Valiants will face off at 6:00 p.m. as the teams fight for a spot in the Skyline Conference Championship Match. Tickets for the match are available now
here. SLC students will be admitted for no charge with their SLC IDs, while families, friends and fans are required to purchase tickets in advance. The winner of Thursday's matchup will go on to play the winner of third-seeded St. Joseph's Long Island and second-seeded USMMA.
