BOSTON – The Saints men's volleyball team (1-0) opened their season with a strong performance on Friday night at the Jean Yawkey Center, sweeping the Sarah Lawrence Gryphons (0-1), 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-15) in non-conference action. The victory marks Emmanuel's first season-opening win since 2022, following losses on opening night the past two seasons.

After consecutive errors by Emmanuel in the first set, allowing the Gryphons to close the gap to 12-11, the Saints responded with a dominant 10-1 run to gain control. The Saints' surge featured kills by Trey Guest and Jyles Amirault, along with service aces from Guest and Louis Da Silva, securing a 25-17 win for the hosts in the set.

Another mid-set burst helped Emmanuel take control in the second frame. Holding a one-point lead, a kill by Thor Yingling off a Quincy Moore feed sparked a 9-2 run, pushing the Saints ahead 19-11. Closing out the set with five unanswered points, the Saints secured a 25-16 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Scoring the first three points of the third set off a Gryphons error and two kills by Amirault, the Saints took an early lead and never looked back. Emmanuel never trailed or tied in the set, closing it out with six straight points to claim a 25-15 victory and complete the sweep of Sarah Lawrence to start the season.

Da Silva led the Saints, filling up the stat-sheet with seven kills, five aces, and five blocks. Amirault finished with a match-best eight kills while Jehuda Tawalujan tallied 12 assists in his collegiate debut. Nate Davis posted six kills and Alex Xie added 12 assists in the loss for the Gryphons.

Up next, Sarah Lawrence will continue their New England swing tomorrow (1/18) with a tri-match against Curry and Dean in Milton, Mass., starting at 1:00 PM. Emmanuel will take the short ride to Cambridge tomorrow for a 2:00 PM tri-match with AIC and MIT.