BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – The Sarah Lawrence women's volleyball team opened its 2025 season on Saturday with a tri-match at the Campbell Sports Center, earning a sweep over FDU-Florham before falling to Nichols in a closely-contested end to the day.
Notable Performers
- Nikolet Vataj totaled 15 kills, 31 digs and 5 aces on the day
- Athena Kazos racked up 24 kills, 21 digs and 4 aces to open the season
- Sophia Costa put up 58 assists and 16 digs in her first two collegiate matches
In the true season opener against FDU-Florham, the Gryphons turned in a dominant performance, winning in straight sets (25-11, 25-20, 30-28). The match was highlighted by a balanced attack and a plethora of clutch plays in the third set, as SLC fended off multiple set points before closing out the sweep. Much like last season, the offense was led by the duo of Kazos and Vataj, who each tallied 13 kills and a double-double.
Brynn Beck chipped in with 5 kills in her collegiate debut, and Costa's debut marked a double-double with 28 kills and 11 digs. Defensively, liberos
Milly Guemple and
Eva Anderson anchored the back row with a combined 13 digs.
In their second match of the day, the Gryphons fell 1-3 to Nichols (19-25, 25-21, 21-25, 22-25) in a hard-fought match with some incredible rallies. Despite the result,
Nikolet Vataj and
Athena Kazos once again recorded double-digit kills, including Vataj's second double-double of the day with team-highs of 12 kills and 15 digs.
Sophia Costa racked up 30 assists in her second collegiate match and Vataj, Anderson and
Eve Iceton all tallied double-digit digs in a strong team defensive effort.
Up Next
The Gryphons (1–1) return to action late next week as they head to Boston for a trio of matches over two days. The team will take on Emmanuel in a single 7:00 p.m. match on Friday, September 5th before heading to Regis College for a Saturday tri-match against both the Pride and the Leopards of Wentworth Institute of Technology. The Gryphons will take on the Leopards at noon and the Pride at 2:00 p.m. Live video and statistics for all contests are provided by road teams, with links available on the women's volleyball schedule at GoGryphons.com.
