Skyline Conference Women's Volleyball Championshp - First Round
(5) Sarah Lawrence - 3, (4) Farmingdale State - 2 (25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 19-25, 15-4)
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The fourth-seeded Farmingdale State women's volleyball team dropped a five-set match to fifth-seeded Sarah Lawrence College in the First Round of the Skyline Conference Championship on Tuesday evening. The Gryphons have advanced to Thursday's semifinal round against top-seeded Manhattanville, while the Rams conclude their season with a 16-9 overall record.
After falling behind two sets to none, Farmingdale State trailed 8-1 in the third set before battling back to take the set, 25-22. FSC followed with a 25-19 victory in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth, the Rams captured the opening point before Sarah Lawrence (14-13) responded with 12 unanswered scores to take a commanding lead. The Gryphons led 14-4 and closed out the match with a block to clinch the 3-2 victory.
Sophomore outside hitter Samantha Russo (Bay Shore, N.Y.) tallied a team-high 13 kills to go along with 22 digs and two blocks. Senior middle blocker Lauren Offermann (North Babylon, N.Y.) recorded 12 kills, a .385 attack percentage, and three total blocks, while freshman middle Alana Henry (Amityville, N.Y.) added 13 kills. Senior setter Sarah Rende (Wantagh, N.Y.), who was honored with the Skyline's Elite 19 Award prior to the match for the second time in as many seasons since the award's inception, registered 40 assists, 14 digs, two service aces and three kills in the loss. She surpassed the 2,000 assist mark and will leave FSC ranked second in program history with 2,022 career assists.
Defensively, senior libero Delaney Keegan (Lake Grove, N.Y.) finished with a team-best 25 digs, and junior defensive specialist Allison Salinas (Glen Cove, N.Y.) contributed 13 digs.
Sarah Lawrence was led by Athena Kazos and Nikolet Vataj, who each registered 19 kills in the win.
