BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - The Sarah Lawrence men's volleyball team found the pot of gold at the bottom of the rainbow on Tuesday night, in the form of a 3-0 sweep over Manhattanville. The Gryphons bested the Valiants in straight sets by scores of 25-12, 25-20 and 25-22, moving to 4-4 in conference play while holding onto the fourth and final playoff spot with under a month to play.

Notable Performers

• First Year Jack Cahill continued a historic season for SLC, tallying 23 kills and nine digs while hitting over .400
• Aidan Roney posted an efficient seven kills while hitting .500 and blocking three MVL attacks
• Alex Xie racked up 31 assists alongside a pair of blocks and aces

How it Happened

The Gryphons set the tone early, using a pair of Cahill conversions and a Roney kill to take a 5-3 lead. After that, an 8-1 run ensued to catapult the hosts into a nine-point advantage. The run started with a Cahill kill and a Xie/Roney block before being capped off by an ace from the team's lone senior to put SLC firmly in control. The Valiants answered with two points of their own, but a Jackson Perhaes/Xie block returned the energy to the Campbell Sports Center before kills from Ethan Look and Cahill put SLC up 16-7. The next three points went to Manhattanville, but the Gryphons would not let the hosts get back into the set, as an eventual 6-0 run closed out the set thanks to kills from Cahill, Roney and Xie as well as an ace by Cahill to help the Gryphons to a dominant 25-12 opening-set victory. The second set was similar at the onset, with a pair of kills from both Cahill and Roney leading the charge and putting the hosts ahead 7-3. The teams traded points as the Valiants attempted to mount a comeback before a three-point midset swing gave the Gryphons a 13-8 advantage. Seven of the following eight points went to the visitors, giving them a 15-14 lead and foreshadowing a second consecutive five-set battle for SLC. Cahill answered to tie, but the Valiants stayed in control to the tune of a 19-18 advantage a few rallies later. Fittingly, Cahill tied the set up once again, this time with Roney and others backing him up to the tune of a six-point swing. After a kill by the senior and a Manhattanville error, Perhaes aced the visitors and Roney combined with Theo Black for a block to put SLC ahead 23-19. Xie found Cahill for the ninth time in the set to take set point before a Manhattanville kill delayed the inevitable and a service error gave the Gryphons a two-set advantage.

The third set was the most competitive, but the Gryphons continued to dominate the early part of the set, taking an eventual 8-4 lead due to three kills from Cahill, a Cahill/Roney block and a Roney ace that capped the run. The Valiants this time did not wait until the middle of the set to make a tying run, taking four consecutive points to bring the game to a stalemate at eight points apiece. After taking three points, including one on an ace from Xie, the Gryphons led 11-8 and looked to close out the match in a stark contrast to Saturday's marathon with St. Joseph's Brooklyn. Manhattanville drew the set within one moments later and the teams traded scores until back-to-back Manhattanville scores drew the teams even once again, this time at 15 points apiece. After a Valiant error broke the tie, a 3-1 stretch by the visitors gave the red and black an 18-17 lead over the Green and Gold, who faced another extended match. Determined to close this one out in three, the Gryphons took six of the next seven points, including two Cahill kills and a Perhaes/Black block, to go up 23-19 and two points away from avenging the team's four-set loss to the Valiants earlier this season. A Manhattanville kill delayed match point before an error by the visitors just a rally later put SLC on the doorstep, but the Valiants would not go away just yet. Trevor Kolar converted on a pair of consecutive opportunities for the Valiants before the Gryphons ended the match in the fittingest way possible, with a Xie-to-Cahill connection that gave the Gryphons a tenth win and moved the team into fourth place in the Skyline standings.

Up Next

The Gryphons (10-9, Skyline 4-4) will return to action in Bronxville on Thursday evening with another Skyline clash, this time taking on the Panthers of Old Westbury. The Gryphons will look to continue their early-season revenge tour against the Panthers at 7:00 p.m.