SPORTS

The women’s tennis team had their first Skyline match last Thursday, Sept. 18, against Yeshiva University. The match was held at United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY, also home to the U.S. Open. It was an extremely close match, with the Gryphons losing 3-4. Regardless, the team agrees that it was a great way to start off the conference.

Despite the uncertainty of the girls incoming season, things took a turn for the better at the beginning of the semester. Martin Rather, a 2024 Harvard Law alum, has dreamed of coaching basketball in a high academic environment since his own days on the court. Upon hearing the news of a position opening at Sarah Lawrence, Rather got the chance to make his dreams come true. 

Winning a volleyball match requires a precise blend of key elements: disciplined teamwork, consistent communication, and strategic execution. The success of the Sarah Lawrence Women’s Volleyball team also runs on the mental toughness and adaptability of its players. These ingredients are important, along with maintaining strong defensive positioning, delivering accurate serves, and executing coordinated offensive plays.

Athena Kazos (#10), outside hitter and senior, rightfully earned the title of Skyline Conference’s Player of the Week announced on Sept. 15, 2025. Kazos aided her team in a tri-match against both Curry College and Saint Joseph’s, which earned her “Player of the Week”, awarded by Skyline Conference.

Luca also commented that Pete is leaving the team much better than he found it. In our interview, Pete described that there is an intangible element that every team needs to succeed: the men’s basketball team has it. Pete, in many ways, embodies that element. The type of energy, sportsmanship, and competitiveness he has are essential components to a winning team. For example, he eats a snickers bar before every game to remind himself of how much fun the hustle of college basketball is.

Ribbion-making and carrying giant pumpkins across campus are some of Maddie Thompson’s core memories from this year’s cross-country season. Thompson is the first Great Big Pumpkin winner for the women’s cross-country team. Following the Skyline Conference Championship 6k Race, Head Coach Tom Dilberto bequeathed an organic big orange pumpkin to Thompson for her drastic improvements throughout the season, staying determined and committed until the very end. Her personal best 5k performance was 31:31 minutes.