BROOKLYN, NY – Though they took the first two sets, University of Rochester women's volleyball fell to the Brandeis University Judges, 3-2 on Saturday in the University Athletic Association (UAA) Volleyball Championships Seventh-Place Match at the Pratt Institute's Activities Resource Center.
 
On a pair of points from Sonia McGaffigan, a kill from Alexia Nelms and a block of Arianna Jackson's attack, the 'Jackets jumped out to an early lead on the Judges.
 
Up 5-4, the Yellowjackets rattled off four straight on Nelms' serve, with a block by Ruby Moore and Gillian Reeder helping UR out to a 9-4 lead.
 
Out of a timeout, Brandeis responded with a small run of their own, pulling within two on Ella Pereira's kill, but Rochester came right back with a surge, scoring five-in-a-row to take a 15-8 lead.
 
Again though, the Judges answered, pulling within two, 18-16, on Sydney Bent's kill, but kills by Reeder and Areti Tsirikaki bookended the next four points for UR, giving the Yellowjackets a 22-16 lead.
 
Reeder then smashed another kill to put UR up five and Tsirikaki scored an ace, setting up set point. And while two errors allowed Brandeis to hold off set point twice, Ana Cerezer finished off the set with a kill from Nelms, giving UR a 25-20 set-one victory.
 
Rochester then took the early lead again in set two, with Katie Westerheim's ace, capping off a 4-0 run.
 
But the Judges countered with the next five, taking a 6-4 lead and forcing Ladi Iya to use her first of two timeouts. Brandeis though, continued their run, extending their lead out to 18-9.
 
However, Rochester didn't falter and made their way back, scoring five of the next seven to pull within four, 19-15, on a block by Cerezer and McGaffigan.
 
The Judges scored the next two, but again Rochester made a run, with four-straight kills by Nelms, Tsirikaki and Reeder making it a one-point game, 22-21, and forcing the Judges to use their first timeout.
 
With two points out of the timeout, Brandeis brought up set point, but Rochester would hold off set point four times, finishing off the match with four points of their own, taking the set, 26-24, on Tsirikaki's ace.
 
But with the Yellowjackets looking to finish things off, the Judges came back to take set three.
 
Pereira gave Brandeis an early 10-7 lead with a kill from Ine Grom-Mansenecal, while a 14-9 advantage for the Judges forced Rochester to spend its first timeout.
 
The Yellowjackets came back to knot the match at 16-all, but four straight from Brandeis forced Iya to use the 'Jackets' final timeout down 20-16.
 
After hitting .167 and .244 over the first two sets, the 'Jackets hit just -.025 in set three, while the Judges upped their hitting percentage to .125.
 
Reeder's kill out of the timeout pulled UR within three, while three points later, Tsirikaki's service ace made it a two-point game.
 
But with a service ace and error, Brandeis went back up by four, before a kill from Pereira and a bad set gave the Judges a 25-20 set three victory.
 
The two sides then went back and forth to start the fourth set, with neither Brandeis nor Rochester able to build a lead larger than two until with six of seven and four straight, Brandeis pressed out to a 12-6 advantage.
 
The Yellowjackets called a timeout and would pull within a score, 13-12, with a 6-1 run of their own, but the Judges wouldn't let UR get any closer, as they finished the set on a 12-4 run to force a decisive, fifth set.
 
And the Judges kept their momentum going into the fifth set, opening a 6-1 lead early on and never looking back on their way to a 15-8 set-five win, and a 3-2 match victory.
 
Rochester's three seniors led the way in the final match of the year, with McGaffigan tallying a team-high 11 kills and Cerezer and Reeder each adding 10.
 
Cerezer added 21 digs for a double-double, her sixth of the year, while Westerheim notched a career-high 19 digs and Tsirikaki added 12.
 
Tsirikaki also led UR with four service aces, while Nelms notched a game-high 40 assists and McGaffigan tallied four blocks.
 
With the loss, UR wraps up the 2022 campaign with a 13-14 record, finishing eighth in the UAA, while Brandies moves to 13-15 with the win, winning the seventh-place match.