BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's volleyball team started out its 2026 campaign on Friday night with a home matchup against the visiting Emmanuel College Saints. Despite strong play across the court, including from first year Jack Cahill, the Gryphons fell to the Saints in three sets by scores of 16-25, 19-25 and 17-25. The Saints come in as formidable opponents, with a 19-win season in 2025 as well as a GNAC semifinal appearance.

Notable Performers

• Cahill led the team with 14 kills, adding in three digs as well
• Aidan Roney posted a trio of aces in addition to three kills
• Alex Xie racked up 22 assists as well as three digs

How it Happened

The Gryphons got some career firsts out of the way early on, as Cahil and Ethan Look each registered their first collegiate kills as the Gryphons hung with the Saints early. The hosts trailed 10-9 after kills from Cahill and Kairos Diaz, but a 6-1 run by the Saints gave the visitors a commanding 16-10 lead. Look converted another opportunity and Roney followed with an ace, but a four-point run by the visitors increased the lead to eight. Mikel Miller joined in the scoring effort before Look added an ace to close the gap to five points, but the visitors took five of the final six points of the day, closing the first set out with a kill for a 25-16 victory.

The second set started similarly, with Cahill and Diaz fueling an early 3-2 lead for SLC before seven straight Emmanuel points put the Saints back in control. The teams traded points throughout the middle of the set, as the visitors maintained their advantage despite a four-point run by the Gryphons that was started by Look and Cahill. The Gryphons slowly closed the gap, scoring two points at a time until a Xie-to-Cahill connection reduced the lead to 22-19, but three straight SLC errors sealed a second-set win for Emmanuel and moved the match to the third set.

The Saints wasted no time in the third set, jumping ahead 6-2 thanks to a trio of kills and a solo block by Brendan McFInley. Cahill and Miller continued to convert while Roney added his final ace, but the Saints stayed in control. An 8-2 surge from the Gryphons in the middle of the set propelled the hosts to a 13-12 lead, capped by a pair of conversions from Cahill, threatening to extend Emmanuel's stay in New York. The visitors immediately responded with an 8-1 run and gave themselves a six point cushion after a pair of Cody Gibendi aces. Cahill once again struck to stop the bleeding, but it would not be enough as the Saints took five of the final seven points for a 25-17 victory and their first win of the young season.

Up Next

The Gryphons (0-1) will return to action on Thursday, January 23rd as the team travels to Brooklyn for a matchup with the Cannoneers of Pratt Institute. The match is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start as the Gryphons look for win number one of the year. The team will then return to action in Bronxville on January 28th for a matchup against CCNY.