Box Score
BRONXVILLE, N.Y.—Backed by a season-high 46 kills as a team, Sarah Lawrence College men's volleyball earned its first win of the season by defeating St. Joseph's College Brooklyn, 3-1, in a Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) match at Noyes Court at Campbell Sports Center on Friday.

In the opening set, neither team was able to pull away by more than two points as the combatants dueled to a 14-14 tie. Sarah Lawrence (1-6, 1-1 HVMAC) went on a 4-0 run to pull away and held on to the slim lead all the way to 25-21 to win the Gryphons' first set of the season. Two-time HVMAC Player of the Week Harrison Holmes (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Webb School) led the attack with five kills and two aces in the opening set.

The second set saw 21 tie scores as the teams exchanged point after point. The teams remained within two points of each other all the way up to a 25-25 draw. Rookie Gryphon Chris Manfugas (Teaneck, N.J., Teaneck) made the difference with a kill and service ace, and Sarah Lawrence squeaked out the 28-26 set. Manfugas had four kills and eight digs in the set, while Holmes had his best set of the season with eight kills.

St. Joseph's Brooklyn (0-3, 0-2 HVMAC) snapped back in the third set, as three straight kills by Raul Urshela (Orlando, Fla., Colonial) sent the Bears on a 4-0 run to take a 12-8 lead. Sarah Lawrence recovered to tie the score at 15-15 but St. Joseph's closed the set on a 10-3 run to win 25-18. Urshela had five kills in the set.

Holmes had five digs to anchor the Green and White defense in the fourth set, while Holmes, Kamden Hilliard (Hililani, Hawai'i, Punahou School) and Ezra Marcus (Berkeley, Calif., Berkeley) tallied three kills apiece on offense. Though the Bears began with a 5-0 run, the Gryphons answered with an 8-2 rally. Again, the opponents clashed to a 23-23 stalemate until a Holmes kill and St. Joseph's error clinched the Sarah Lawrence victory with a 25-23 set.

Holmes totaled a season-best 19 kills, while Manfugas led the Gryphons with 19 digs and five service aces. Junior setter Brent Terry (Crownpoint, N.M., Idyllwild Arts Academy) totaled an eye-popping 42 assists in the match, while sophomore Riley Smith (West Linn, Ore., Palo Alto (Calif.)) reached double-figures with 16 digs. Holmes and Hilliard each had a team-best three blocks.

For St. Joseph's, Urshela and Martin Torres (Ozone Park, N.Y., St. Francis Prep) both had 13 kills on the day; Ushela also led all players with five blocks. Setter Iqbal Husain (West Palm Beach, Fla., Palm Beach Gardens) totaled 30 assists, while Taso Kostikas (Brooklyn, N.Y., Midwood) led the visitors with 13 kills.

Sarah Lawrence's matches set for Sunday have been postponed. The Gryphons return to the court on Wednesday when they host Berkeley (N.J.) College at 7 p.m.