BROCKPORT, NY – The University of Rochester volleyball team opened play at this weekends SUNY Brockport Volleyball Invitational with a defeat at the hands of the host Golden Eagles by a 3-0 score.
 
Rochester is back in action on Saturday against Ithaca College at 11 am followed by an afternoon contest against Thiel College.
 
Brockport, who is among others receiving votes in the current AVCA Division III poll, posted set wins on Friday of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-10 to earn the match sweep, moving to 5-1 on the year. Rochester drops to 4-2 with the loss.
 
Zaira Reyes paced the Yellowjackets with a solid all-around effort, providing 3 kills, 13 assists, 2 aces, 3 blocks and 6 digs. Megan Gatz led Rochester in kills with six, also adding seven digs.  Ana Cerezer add five kills and nine digs for the Yellowjackets.  Kellie McCrea and Sonia McGaffigan each smacked three kills.
 
Brockport's leading hitter was Jordan Thompson who had nine kills, while Meaghan Mastro and Andrea Coyle each provided seven kills.  Madalyn Bowen provided 19 digs while Kerri McHale dished out 26 assist and added six digs.
 
In the opening set, Rochester jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, but Brockport rattled off nine of the next ten points to grab a 9-4 lead. The Yellowjackets used a 5-0 spirt to get back within one and a Cerezer service ace evened the score at 13-all midway though the set.
 
With the score deadlocked at 19-19, Brockport score two points to edge ahead, but the Yellowjackets answered with three straight points, including a McGaffigan kill to pull in front 22-21. Brockport finished the set tough though, scoring the next four points, including getting a block from McHale and Myah Frostclapp to seal the set win.
 
Brockport used a five in six point run midway through the set to grab a 20-14 lead, but Rochester scored the next three points to climb back within three. Gatz and McCrea assisted on a block with Gatz adding a kill in the spurt. The teams traded two point bursts to get to 22-19 before the Golden Eagles closed out the set with three in a row for the 25-19 win.
 
In the third set, Brockport hit its best percentage of the night, .259, with 10 kills and three errors on 27 attempts, en route to the 25-10 win. Rochester, meanwhile, struggled to find its offensive groove in the final set, committing eight errors to just six kills.