Sarah Lawrence College women’s volleyball delivered an impressive comeback on Saturday afternoon, overcoming a two-set deficit to defeat Farmingdale State, 3-2, in a thrilling Skyline Conference matchup. The Gryphons dropped the opening two sets, 25-19 and 25-23, before completely shifting the momentum with three consecutive victories, taking the final three sets 25-20, 25-10 and 16-14. Farmingdale appeared to be in control early, but Sarah Lawrence’s offensive attack and defensive adjustments helped the Gryphons battle back and preserve their undefeated conference record.
Farmingdale came out strong in the opening set, establishing control behind its balanced offensive attack. Leslie Wandmacher and Mackenzie Marquardt helped lead the Rams, who combined for 15 kills in the first set while hitting an impressive .394. Sarah Lawrence remained competitive behind Caroline Combs and Nikolet Vataj, but Farmingdale maintained its advantage and closed out the opener, 25-19. The second set followed a similar pattern, with both teams trading points throughout the early stages. Sarah Lawrence continued to generate offense, but the Rams found important contributions from Wandmacher and Marquardt to maintain their edge. Farmingdale eventually pulled away late to secure a 25-23 victory, putting the Rams one set away from completing the sweep.
With their backs against the wall, the Gryphons responded in the third set. Combs began taking over offensively, while Vataj provided another consistent scoring option. Sarah Lawrence gradually gained control and took advantage of Farmingdale’s increasing attack errors. The Gryphons finished the set with a 25-20 win, cutting the match deficit to 2-1 and building momentum heading into the fourth. That momentum carried directly into the next set, as Sarah Lawrence produced its most dominant performance of the afternoon. Combs continued to find open spaces in the Farmingdale defense, while Sophia Costa kept the offense moving with accurate setting. The Gryphons overwhelmed the Rams in the fourth set, limiting them to just five kills and forcing seven attack errors. Sarah Lawrence cruised to a 25-10 victory, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
The deciding set featured the type of back-and-forth battle expected from two of the Skyline Conference’s top programs. Farmingdale attempted to regain control behind Wandmacher and Marquardt, while Sarah Lawrence continued relying on its combination of Combs and Vataj. The teams exchanged points throughout the shortened set, with neither side able to create a comfortable advantage. Farmingdale fought to extend the match, but Sarah Lawrence found the crucial points late and ultimately secured a 16-14 victory. The comeback completed a remarkable turnaround for the Gryphons, who won three straight sets after trailing 2-0 to remain unbeaten in Skyline Conference competition.
Key Stats and Takeaways
Sarah Lawrence finished with a 62-50 advantage in kills and a .239 team hitting percentage compared with Farmingdale’s .146. Combs led all players with an outstanding 27 kills, adding 13 digs and two service aces. Vataj contributed 15 kills and 21 digs, recording a double-double and providing a major presence on both sides of the ball. Costa orchestrated the offense with 53 assists while adding 14 digs and three service aces. Kai Perkins also played an important defensive role, finishing with 22 digs. For Farmingdale, Wandmacher led the Rams with 15 kills, four total blocks and 18 points, while Marquardt added 13 kills and four digs. Sarah Rende finished with 28 assists, and Allison Salinas led the Rams defensively with 27 digs. Farmingdale actually held advantages in service aces (8-6) and blocks (9-6), but Sarah Lawrence’s offensive efficiency and defensive coverage proved decisive. The Gryphons also finished with an 85-67 advantage in digs and a 58-47 edge in assists. The victory improved Sarah Lawrence to 24-2 overall and a perfect 10-0 in Skyline play, while Farmingdale dropped to 13-4 overall and 8-2 in conference action.