CHICOPEE, MASS. - The Sarah Lawrence men's volleyball team split Saturday's tri-match hosted by Elms College. The Gryphons fell to the hosting Blazers to start off the day before a thrilling five-set victory in a back-and-forth affair with Dean College evened their record for the day.

Notable Performers

• Jack Cahill posted 32 total kills, including 24 in the team's win over Dean
• Alex Xie racked up 51 assists on the day, including a double-double against Dean
• Kairos Diaz totaled 20 digs across the two matches

Match 1: Sarah Lawrence vs Elms College

The Gryphons hung with the Blazers early, as Cahill and Xie combined for six early kills and the Gryphons trailed 7-8. Aidan Roney added a pair of kills as the team stuck close, but a 7-0 run by the hosts put the Blazers in control of the set. Cahill and Roney each converted on kills down the stretch, but Elms held on for a dominant 25-14 first-set victory. The Blazers jumped ahead early in set number two, leading 13-4 after a double block. Cahill got the Gryphons going before Mikel Miller added a pair of kills, but the Blazers remained in control and cruised to a second consecutive 25-14 victory. The visitors hung around early in the third set, trailing 7-12, but a 13-1 run by Elms closed out the set and the match.

Match 2: Sarah Lawrence vs Dean College

The Gryphons took an early 4-1 lead thanks to a Cahill kill and a block by Jackson Perhaes. the two teams went back-and-forth, with the Gryphons maintaining a brief lead throughout. Cahill came alive at the end with an ace and four kills while Miller and Roney also converted to help the Gryphons take a 25-21 first-set victory. The two teams battled back-and-forth in the second set, before a 3-0 stretch by Dean late to jump ahead 23-17. Cahill responded with two late kills, but two conversions in response by Dean's Antonio Varela tied the match up at one set apiece. The Bulldogs stayed hot to open the third set, taking a 4-1 lead before the Gryphons drew a 6-6 tie after a pair of Roney aces. The Gryphons maintained a slight advantage thorughout the next few minutes, but it was a four-point swing fueled by a Perhaes kill and a Perhaes/Roney ace that put the Gryphons ahead 17-11. The Bulldogs stopped the bleeding with a point in response, but six straight SLC points put the team up 23-12 and just two points from taking a 2-1 lead in the match. The Bulldogs would take three of the next four points, but a solo block by Xie secured the set for SLC and put the Gryphons on the verge of a match victory. Dean had other plans in the fourth set, gettting ahead early and maintaining a lead midway through with a scoreline of 15-9. The Gryphons answered at that point, determined to get an early break back to NY. The team took eight straight points and propelled themselves into the lead by a score of 17-15. In turn, Dean took nine straight points to get to set point, threatening to bring the match to a decisive fifth set. After a single Dean error, the Bulldogs responded and sent the match to a fifth set, delaying SLC's departure from the Bay State. The Gryphons capitalized on Dean errors early in the final set, pairing aces from Xie and Roney with a handful of missteps by the Bulldogs to take a 7-4 lead. Dean answered to tie the set at nine points apiece but a huge block by Ethan Look put SLC up 13-11 moments later, firing up the visitors. Varela would respond with two late kills, but the Gryphons would force more late errors and claim a 15-13 fifth-set win, returning home with a match victory.

Up Next 

The Gryphons (2-3) will return to action on Tuesday, February 3rd as they travel to New Jersey for a matchup with the Rangers of Drew University. The team will then take a 10-day break from matches before a home doubleheader against Fisher College on Friday, February 13th.