2024 Skyline Conference Women's Volleyball Championship - First Round
Sarah Lawrence - 3, Farmingdale State - 2 (25-21, 12-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-13)
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The fourth-seeded Farmingdale State College women's volleyball team hosted No. 5 Sarah Lawrence College in the First Round of the 2024 Skyline Conference Championship on Tuesday evening and fell in a thirlling five-set match. The Rams finish the season with a 15-8 overall record, while the Gryphons (17-9) have advanced to the Semifinals, where they will face top-seeded Manhattanville on Thursday.
FSC dropped the opening set, 25-21, but responded with a dominant 25-12 win in the second to even the match at 1-1.
In the third set, Sarah Lawrence came from behind, trailing 23-21, to reel off four straight points and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Gryphons opened the fourth with five unanswered points, but the Rams battled back behind six straight serves by junior
Delaney Keegan (Lake Grove, N.Y.) to take a 10-8 lead. Despite trailing again, 16-14, Farmingdale State rallied on a five-serve streak from sophomore
Doly DeJesus (Geneva, N.Y.) to regain the advantage. FSC went on to win the set, 25-21, and force a deciding fifth set.
In the fifth set, Farmingdale State led 9-6, but Sarah Lawrence responded with a 4-1 run, including three kills by Nikolet Vataj, to knot the score at 10-10. With the score still tied, 12-12, Gryphons' Athena Kazos delivered a crucial kill, followed by an FSC attack error, to set up match point for SLC. On the ensuing serve, Rams' senior outside
Jenya Surlin (East Meadow, N.Y.) recorded a kill to close the gap to 14-13. Following a timeout by Sarah Lawrence, Kazos clinched the match with another kill as they went on for the 15-13 set win and 3-2 match victory.
Three different players registered double-digit kills for Farmingdale State, with sophomore middle blocker
Stephanie Nemecek (Farmingdale, N.Y.) leading the way with 14 and a .444 hitting percentage. Keegan finished with 12 kills, 26 digs, two blocks and two service aces and freshman outside hitter
Samantha Russo (Bay Shore, N.Y.) produced 10 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore setter
Sarah Rende (Wantagh, N.Y.), who was honored with the Skyline's Elite 19 Award prior to the match, tallied a career-high 47 assists and tied for the third most in a single match in program history. Surlin had a career-night with eight kills, a .389 attacking percentage and five blocks (one solo), while junior middle
Lauren Offermann (North Babylon, N.Y.) chipped in with seven kills and five blocks. Senior libero
Lana Ventura (Port Washington, N.Y.) added 25 digs for the Rams in defeat.
Kazos and Vataj recorded 26 and 22 kills, respectively, for the Gryphons in the victory.
Sarah Lawrence has advanced to the Skyline Semifinals and will take on No. 1 Manhattanville on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
The Elite 19 Award is given out at the Skyline Conference Championship to the participating student-athlete with the highest GPA
