WALTHAM, MA – Rochester fashioned some strong performances in the second University Athletic Association round robin at Brandeis University. The Yellowjackets were defeated by Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon University, 3-0.
 
The Yellowjackets are 0-5 in the first two weekends of the round robin. They stand 5-10 overall. The third round robin is scheduled for Emory University in Atlanta on October 17. That will finalize the standings and the pairings for the UAA Championships on November 5-6 at Case Western Reserve. The UAA champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. In that third round robin, Rochester will play Emory and Brandeis.
 
Rochester vs. Case Western Reserve (16-25, 13-25, 22-25): Sonia McGaffiagan had 10 kills and three blocks. She added three digs. Kellie McCrea had seven kills. Isabelle Miranda had 16 assists. Alexia Nelms had three service aces. La'I Yuen compiled 15 digs and Megan Gatz had 11 digs to accompany five kills. Ilaria Benciolini had two blocks.
 
Nelms had her three service aces in Rochester's closing run of the first set. In the third set, CWRU edged ahead, 4-3. Rochester went on an extended 10-4 run to rally into a 13-8 lead. Gatz served five straight points in the burst which included a pair of kills by McCrea and a block by McCrea and Benciolini.
 
Rochester vs. Carnegie Mellon (17-25, 28-30, 21-25): Gatz and McGaffigan had 11 kills apiece. Ella Sokolowski added four kills. Zaira Reyes had 13 assists as did Miranda. Ana Cerezer had 14 kills. Yuen dug nine balls. Sokolowski and Reyes had eight kills. The Yellowjackets totaled nine service aces – two apiece from Yuen, Reyes,, and McGaffigan.
 
The marathon middle set was tight after an early CMU run. The Tartans jumped ahead, 8-3. Rochester rallied. Yuen served an ace and McGaffigan had two kills as the Yellowjackets climbed to within 8-7 Kills by Gatz and Sokolowski tied the score at 22-22. It was tied at 23, 24, and 25. A Gatz kill tied it at 25-25. CMU had an attack error and a service error, putting Rochester up, 27-26. The Tartans tied it at 27. They commited an attack error which put UR ahead, 28-27. Two kills highlighted a closing 3-0 run that grabbed the second set.