ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Sarah Lawrence College women's volleyball team swept Bard College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in a doubleheader at Bard College on Saturday, September 12.
Game One: Sarah Lawrence 3, Bard 0
The Gryphons (5-1) defeated the Raptors (0-5) in three sets, 25-19, 25-12, 25-16. Sarah Lawrence posted a .228 hitting percentage, while Bard recorded a .073 hitting percentage.
The Gryphons held the advantage in all statistical categories, including points (50-35), kills (34-29), aces (11-3), blocks (5-3), assists (31-26), and digs (48-39).
Nikolet Vataj led Sarah Lawrence with a season-best 14 kills and 10 digs. She added a season-best four service aces, two block assists, and one assist. The double-double was her first of the season. Rookie
Caroline Combs added eight kills, seven digs, and a game-high four service aces.
Sophomore
Sophia Costa orchestrated the offense with 27 assists, five digs, two block assists, and one kill. Freshman
Kai Perkins anchored the defense with 11 digs and added three assists, while sophomore
Olivia Richard contributed a team-high three block assists.
The Gryphons opened the match with an early 13-6 lead. The Raptors responded with a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to one, 14-13. Sarah Lawrence held a 20-18 advantage before a kill by freshman
Charlotte Siemsen sparked a 5-1 run. The Gryphons committed no errors during the stretch to secure the 25-19 set-one victory.
Bard opened the second set with a 4-2 lead, but Vataj posted back-to-back kills to spark a 10-1 run that gave the Gryphons a 13-5 advantage. Sarah Lawrence extended its lead to double digits, 17-7, on a Combs kill and held on for the 25-12 victory.
The final set was tied at 10 before a Bard blocking error sparked a 10-2 run for the Gryphons, giving Sarah Lawrence a 20-12 lead. The Raptors trimmed the deficit to five, 20-15, but the Gryphons answered with four straight points to reach match point. Combs finished the match with her final kill.
Game Two: Sarah Lawrence 3, MCLA 0
Sarah Lawrence (6-1) swept the Trailblazers (4-1) in three sets, 25-15, 25-13, 25-18. The Gryphons recorded a .319 hitting percentage compared to MCLA's .092 and held the statistical advantage in every category: points (56-30), kills (41-23), aces (11-4), blocks (4-3), assists (36-19), and digs (44-33).
Vataj again led the Gryphons with 14 kills, eight digs, and one ace. Combs contributed 13 kills, 12 digs, and five service aces. The performance marked Combs' third double-double of the season, while her five aces matched her season best.
Costa recorded 31 assists, four service aces, three digs, and one kill. Perkins added 15 digs and four assists, while freshman
Charlee Leonard posted a season-best three block assists.
Sarah Lawrence jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the opening set, capped by four straight kills from the Gryphons. MCLA struggled to close the gap, and four consecutive points from Vataj and Combs extended the lead to 24-12. Combs secured the set victory with a kill, 25-15.
The Gryphons opened the second set with a 6-1 run, including four straight points by Costa, who recorded a kill and three service aces during the stretch. Sarah Lawrence continued to control the set and claimed its largest lead on set point, 25-13.
In the third set, the teams were tied at 10 before a kill by
Evie Iceton sparked a 9-1 Gryphons run, giving Sarah Lawrence a 19-11 advantage. The Trailblazers trimmed the deficit to five, 20-15, but three kills by Combs and two MCLA attack errors secured the three-set sweep.
The match marked the first meeting between the Gryphons and Trailblazers.
Sarah Lawrence returns to action on Tuesday, September 15, when the Gryphons host Baruch College at 5:00 p.m. in a non-conference matchup.
