NEW YORK – The Yeshiva University men's volleyball team earned a victory in its Skyline Conference opener, defeating Sarah Lawrence College in straight sets, at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Thursday evening. Set scores were 25-20, 25-11, and 25-17.

Yeshiva (2-3, 1-0 Skyline) generated a .343 hitting percentage as a team. Senior middle blocker Yosef Ajami, junior opposite hitter Derek Orenshein, and third year outside hitter Joseph Sulaymanov each contributed to the attack with eight kills apiece, while all three of them recorded four digs on the defensive end. Sophomore setter Benjamin Goldstein tallied a double-double with 21 assists and 10 digs, while scoring four service aces. Graduate libero Sibi Selvarajah anchored the defense with eight digs.

"After a heartbreaking loss from last night's game, I reminded the team to start strong - pushing for every point at the early stages of a game," Yeshiva University Head Coach Dennis Mente said. "I want the team to to get the momentum early so they can find their rhythm and play well. This is a young team and there are still so many things they need to learn."

Down 12-10 in the first set, back-to-back kills by Orenshein and Ajami sparked a 6-1 YU run to lift the Maccabees to a 16-13 lead. However, the Gryphons (1-10, 0-1 Skyline) answered with a 6-2 run to retake the advantage, 19-18. The Maccabees tilted momentum into their favor thanks to a kill and an ace by Goldstein, and a pair of kills from Ajami, to propel Yeshiva to a 23-19 hold. After Sarah Lawrence scored the next point, Yeshiva finished the set strong thanks to back-to-back kills by Sulaymanov and Selvarajah that gave the home team a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Gryphons grabbed an early 3-1 benefit in the second game. However, the Maccabees responded with 12-1 run to jump out to a 13-4 hold. Orenshein slammed home four kills during the run. Sarah Lawrence could not generate a consistent run to get back into the set, as back-to-back kills by sophomore middle blocker Steven Zelmanovich and junior defensive specialist Leib Fant clinched Yeshiva's second set-victory and put Sarah Lawrence on the brink of defeat.

The Macs led from wire-to-wire in the third game. SLC scored four straight points to shrink YU's lead to 18-15, but back-to-back aces by Sulaymanov and a kill from Orenshein highlighted a streak of five straight points for the Blue and White to extend its lead to 23-15. Ajami capped off the contest with a kill to clinch Yeshiva's second win of the season.

"I'm happy we won tonight and the team played really well," Mente said. 

The Maccabees scored 15 service aces as a team. Junior setter Shimon Ohana had a pair of assists, while sophomore middle blocker Amitai Kolom registered two kills and a dig. First year middle blocker Ariel Rivkin had one kill and a dig.

For the Gryphons, sophomore outside hitter Felix Massey tied a match-high with eight kills.

Yeshiva will once again compete in the friendly confines of the Max Stern Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon, with a non-conference match against Brooklyn College, beginning at 1:00 p.m.