BRONXVILLE, N.Y - The Nichols College women's volleyball team split a pair of matches on the opening day of the 2025 season in a non conference tri match against fellow visitor FDU-Florham (23-25, 19-25, 22-25) and Sarah Lawrence (25-19,21-25,25-21,25-22) inside the Campbell Sports Center. The win marks the first victory for head coach Caryn Sibiskie with the Bison.
The Bison start their season 1-1 (0-0 CNE) with the split.
Match #1 vs FDU-Florham (1-1, 0-0 MAC)
Senior Mairead Frost led the Bison with nine kills and a .182 hitting percentage, while also adding nine digs and a block in the afternoon opener. Junior Elizabeth Mullen anchored the defense with 14 digs, and senior setter Kya Burdier (12 assists) along with graduate student Ruby St. Onge (10 assists) kept the offense moving.
Nichols battled evenly with Florham to open the first set, trading short scoring bursts before the Devils edged ahead 14-10. The Bison answered with a 6-2 surge, highlighted by Frost and Burdier, to knot the score at 16. Despite the push, Nichols could never quite pull in front, and Florham held on for a 25-23 win.
The second set swung heavily in the Devils' favor early as they raced out to a 6-0 lead. With the game seeming out of hand, Nichols retaliated and clawed back into contention. Slowly chopping down the deficit until they went on a 4 point run to overtake Florham stealing the lead 16-15. The Devils, however, responded with a decisive rally of its own to reclaim momentum and close out the set.
With their backs against the wall, the Bison fought to extend the match, trading points throughout a tightly contested third set. Florham appeared to seize control with a five-point spurt, but Nichols quickly countered with four points, including a kill and an ace from Freshmen Alyssa Morse. The Devils ultimately steadied themselves down the stretch, pulling away for a 25-22 win and the sweep.
Match #2 @ Sarah Lawrence (1-1, 0-0 SKYLINE)
Burdier put together a complete performance against Sarah Lawrence, finishing with 11 kills, 22 assists, and two aces while also adding 15 digs and a block. Morse paced the attack with 17 kills and chipped in 12 digs on defense. St. Onge and Mullen carried their momentum from the opener, with St. Onge dishing out 20 assists and serving up five aces, while Mullen anchored the back row with a team-high 17 digs.
Nichols stormed out of the gate in the opening set, racing to an 11-4 lead. The Bison controlled nearly every rally and stretched their advantage to double digits behind Burdier's all-around play. Though Sarah Lawrence managed to chip away late, Nichols stayed steady and closed out the set 25-19.
The Gryphons responded in the second, jumping ahead 5-1 before the Bison clawed back to take a brief lead. The set remained tight with neither side giving much ground. Deadlocked at 20-20, Sarah Lawrence strung together a 5-1 run to take it 25-21 and even the match at one set apiece.
The third frame mirrored the second with back-and-forth play until a kill from Jhudny Pierre sparked an eight-point surge that gave Nichols control. Sarah Lawrence answered with a quick four-point push, but the Bison refused to let go of their advantage. Once again tied at 20, Nichols flipped the script from the previous set by closing on a 5-1 run of their own, sealing a 25-21 win and a 2-1 edge.
Nichols struck first in the fourth on a Morse kill, and the two sides traded points until the Bison broke free late. A 6-0 spurt pushed them ahead 22-17, and Sarah Lawrence couldn't recover. Closing kills from Maille Ianniruberto and Morse finished the job, giving Nichols the 25-20 set win and a 3-1 victory in the match.
The Bison will host River University (1-1,0-0 GNAC) at the Nichols Athletic Center for a showdown on Thursday, September 4th at 7:00 PM.
