POTSDAM, NY – University of Rochester women's volleyball topped the RIT Tigers in four sets, 3-1, before falling to the host Clarkson University Golden Knights, 3-1, in a tri-match hosted by Clarkson inside Alumni Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. With the split, Rochester moves to 9-13 on the season, while the Tigers now stand at 14-9 on the year, with Clarkson at 10-12 overall.
 
Match One: Rochester 3, RIT 1
The Yellowjackets and Tigers traded barbs early on in the opening set, with kills from Rylee Bergeron and Ashley Cook, as well as a block from Bergeron and Ruby Moore, helping UR out to a 10-6 lead.
 
The Tigers stormed back with three-straight to pull within one, before Rochester reeled off a huge run, scoring the next four points before the Tigers took a timeout, and adding five of the next six out of the timeout to take a 20-11 lead. Kills by Bergeron, Cook, Caroline Hoag and Myla Nover-Estes, as well as aces from Cook and Alexia Nelms highlighted the 9-1 run that put the 'Jackets up for good.
 
After another Tiger timeout, a service error briefly slowed the 'Jackets' roll, but a Tigers' service error gave Rochester the serve right back, and UR would finish off the set with five of the next six points. Lydia Weeks' ace made it 22-12, while kills from Bergeron and Moore brought up set point, 24-12, and a point later, Bergeron finished things off, 25-13, to give the 'Jackets a 1-0 match lead.
 
And while Rochester led early in the second set, looking to build a 2-0 lead, the Tigers responded to a 5-0 UR run with an extended run of their own. After Maren Smith's ace gave the 'Jackets a 12-9 lead, RIT regrouped out of a timeout and pulled within two on Sydney Neff's ace, and then reeled off five straight, turning a 15-12 deficit int a 17-15 lead.
 
UR kept things close over the next few points, but another quick three points from the Tigers put RIT up 21-17 on Neff's kill and forced Ladi Iya and the 'Jackets to use a timeout.
 
Down the stretch, Rochester would hold off set point three times after the Tigers took a 24-20 lead, with three-straight kills from Cook pulling UR within a point, 24-23, but a Jacqueline Witteman kill from Neff prevented Rochester from getting any closer and finished off the set, 25-23, leveling the match at one set apiece.
 
Two attack errors then gave the Tigers an early lead in set three, but the Yellowjackets surged ahead early, scoring five-in-a-row to turn an early deficit into a four-point lead. The two sides traded runs until midway through the third set, when out of a timeout, Rochester notched two-straight points to tie the set at 18-all.
 
A kill from RIT put the Tigers up a point, but the 'Jackets answered with two to go up one, 20-19, on Cook's kill. RIT would then lead again, 23-22, after a pair of UR errors, but out of a timeout, Rochester answered with kills from Nover-Estes and Bergeron to again pull ahead.
 
Bergeron then looked to smash another kill to take the set, but a block by Jacqueline Witteman and Lilo Gerald-Emesih again tied the set, this time at 24-all. However, the 'Jackets responded with a block of their own on the ensuing point from Bergeron and Hoag, and then Bergeron this time finished off the set, giving UR a 2-1 match lead with a 26-24 set-three win.
 
And while the Tigers jumped ahead to start set four, looking to push things to the fifth set, the Yellowjackets would come roaring back to finish things off. The Tigers scored three-in-a-row to start things off and lead 7-2 and 13-5 before UR took a timeout, but trailing 16-8, the 'Jackets would go on a run.
 
Five-straight points, four on Nelms' serve, made it a three-point game and forced the Tigers to take a timeout, and while RIT notched the next three, the 'Jackets this time answered with six-in-a-row, five on Cook's serve, to pull within a point, 19-18.
 
Two aces from Cook highlighted the second, 6-0 run, and after the Tigers took their second timeout, UR would go up 21-20 four-points later on an RIT attack error. A block then by Cat Vento and Macie Jolliffe briefly evened the match at 21-all, but Rochester finished off the set and match with four of the final five points, taking a 23-21 lead on Katie Westerheim's ace, before Bergeron brought up set point with a kill and an attack error finished things off.
 
Three Yellowjackets notched double-digit kills, led by Bergeron (19 kills, 18 digs) and Cook (12 kills and 14 digs), each of whom notched a double-double. Nover-Estes added 10 kills while Nelms dished out 37 assists and Cooks and Weeks each sent over three aces.
 
Defensively, Weeks tallied a team-high 20 digs, while Hoag notched four block assists. As a team, UR outhit RIT, .208 to .113, tallying 57 kills, to just 38 for the Tigers.
 
Match Two: Clarkson 3, Rochester 1
Clarkson and Rochester traded runs to open the first set, with the Golden Knights taking a 6-1 lead early, before UR climbed back in with a 6-0 run of their own. The Golden Knights would retake the lead after a service error on Grace Hanson's kill just a serve later, and extended their lead back out to 14-9 midway through the opening set.
 
And while the Yellowjackets kept things close, pulling within two on Nelms' ace after a kill from Cook, the Golden Knights scored the final nine points of the set to take a 1-0 match lead with a 25-14 first-set win.
 
Clarkson again surged ahead early in set two, scoring the first seven points of the set before an attack error got UR on the scoreboard. The Golden Knights led 9-2 before Rochester reeled off four straight on Moore's serve, but another Clarkson run saw the home side take a 13-6 lead and eventually an 18-8 advantage with two 4-0 runs.
 
Rochester scored seven of eight points down the stretch to cut Clarkson's lead to just four, 21-17, on Cook's kill, but out a timeout the Golden Knights straightened things out, and pulled up set point, 24-18, on Marin Hangliter's kill and an attack error by UR.
 
A service and attack error twice helped the Yellowjackets hold off set point, but another service error gave Clarkson the set, 25-20, and a 2-0 match lead.
 
Trailing two sets to none, the 'Jackets rallied to try to fend off a sweep, taking an 8-3 lead on Westerheim's serve early in set three, and pressing their advantage to 14-7 on Cook's kill after Nelms sent over an ace.
 
Clarkson kept things close for much of the middle of the set, trailing by no more than four, before Moore's kill from Nelms made it a 19-15 lead, while an attack error then extended the lead to five and forced the Golden Knights to take a timeout.
 
UR though, finished off the set with five of the final six points, with two kills from Hoag as well as Nelms' service ace helping push the 'Jackets to a 25-17 set-three victory to avoid the sweep and cut Clarkson's lead to 2-1.
 
And while Rochester answered Clarkson's early, set-four run with one of their own, a 5-0 run midway through the fourth set helped the home side open a 14-11 lead. And despite Rochester keeping things close, the Golden Knights prevented the 'Jackets from tying it after Nelms pulled UR within one with a service ace, scoring the next four points to go up 20-15 and force UR to take a timeout.
 
Hoag smashed a kill out of the timeout, but the Golden Knights answered each of the next two UR points with two each of their own, bringing up match point with a block from Tess Sorel and Emily Alexander on an attack from Bergeron. Moore held off match point with a kill, trimming Clarkson's lead to 24-18, but the Golden Knights took the set, 25-18, on Marin Hangliter's kill, and the match 3-1.
 
Offensively, Hoag led UR with 11 kills, while Bergeron tallied a team-high 20 digs defensively. Raquel Morales added 10 digs, while Nelms again dished out a team-high 32 assists.
 
The Yellowjackets will be back in action next Wednesday, Oct. 23 when they face SUNY Geneseo in Geneseo, NY at 6:00 p.m.