GENESEO, NY – University of Rochester women's volleyball defeated the SUNY Geneseo Knights, 3-1 on Wednesday evening inside Carl Schrader Gymnasium, rallying back from down seven early in the fourth set to finish off the mid-week, non-conference victory.
 
With four-straight points off Lydia Weeks' serve in the opening set, the 'Jackets jumped ahead of the Knights early, leading 4-0 after back-to-back errors by the home squad. And while the Knights would eventually tie things up and take their first lead of the match, 9-8, on an attack error by UR, Rochester battled back, eventually forcing the first timeout of the set from Geneseo on Ashley Cook's kill to go up 15-13.
 
Out of Geneseo's timeout, the 'Jackets and Knights traded points, with SUNY Geneseo tying the set at 18-all on kills from Madison Gamberg and Peyton Cole, but Rochester scored four of the next five points on kills from Katie Westerheim and Maren Smith and two service aces from Rylee Bergeron and Westerheim to take a 22-19 lead they'd never relinquish.
 
The Knights called another timeout down three and pulled within two on Jenna Garvey's kill out of the timeout, but the 'Jackets scored the next two on back-to-back attack errors before Weeks finished out the first set the same way she started, notching another ace to give Rochester the win, 25-20.
 
Looking to level the match at one set apiece, SUNY Geneseo struck first in the second set, tallying five of the first seven points, but UR quickly responded with a 4-0 run to take the lead, and pushed further ahead with another 5-0 run to take a 12-7 lead on three-straight kills from Cook.
 
The sophomore smashed all three kills off assists from Alexia Nelms, as the 'Jackets took an 11-7 lead and added one more after the Knights took a timeout.
 
Rochester later extended its lead to six on kills from Cook and Bergeron, as the pair combined for 15 kills in the second set. Another pair of Bergeron and Cook kills made it 18-12 and forced another Geneseo timeout, but the Yellowjackets kept on rolling despite the timeout, finishing off the set with seven of the final nine points to close out a 25-14 victory.
 
Up 19-12, Weeks sent over another ace before Bergeron's kill made it 21-12, while back-to-back Bergeron kills after the Knights' next point extended UR's lead to 23-13, before two more, one from Bergeron and another from Cook, finished off the set in favor of the 'Jackets.
 
The Knights would again open an early lead in set three before the two sides went back-and-forth with Rochester looking for the sweep, while Geneseo looked to push the match to a fourth set. After three straight from the 'Jackets knotted the set at 15-15, Geneseo took a timeout and responded with three-straight points of their own.
 
UR then took a timeout of their own and nearly did the same, leveling the set at 19-all with four of the next five. Geneseo answered with the next two points to take a 21-19 lead, and after the 'Jackets and Knights traded the next six points, Rochester called a timeout with the Knights approaching set point, up 24-22.
 
A service error gave Rochester the serve right back though, while two-in-a-row, finished off by another Bergeron kill, gave the 'Jackets a 25-24 lead. However, the Knights tied the set at 25 on Madison Baumann's kill and then notched the next two points to prevent the sweep, 27-25.
 
SUNY Geneseo took that momentum into the fourth set and led by as many as seven early, looking to force a fifth set. However, the 'Jackets made their way back, cutting the home side's lead to just four, 15-11, on back-to-back kills from Bergeron and Hoag, after which, the Knights took their first timeout.
 
The Yellowjackets kept things close, despite Geneseo retaking a five-point lead on Gamberg's kill and ace, and then made their run, turning a four-point, 17-13 deficit into a 20-18 lead. UR won the serve back on Gamberg's service error and scored four of the next five points, two coming on Bergeron kills, to cut the deficit to just one, 18-17, and force the Knights to take another timeout.
 
Lilly Kraemer sent over another kill to knot the set at 18 before another Bergeron kill and Weeks ace gave Rochester a two-point advantage. Geneseo would briefly tie the set at 20-all and again at 21-21, but three-straight Cook kills brought up set point, while an attack error a point later gave UR the 25-22 set win and a 3-1 match victory.
 
With the win, Rochester's 10th of the year, UR moves to 10-13, while the Knights fall to 7-13.
 
Bergeron and Cook each notched double-doubles and double-digit kills, with Bergeron notching a team-high 19 kills, matching a career-high, to go along with 17 digs, while Cook led UR with 19 digs, adding 18 kills, both career-highs.
 
Weeks and Westerheim also tallied double-digit digs, with 16 and 17 apiece, respectively, while Weeks also added a team and career-high six aces, and Nelms dished out a game-high 44 assists.
 
As a team, Rochester outhit Geneseo, .236 to .116, notching 55 kills, 10 aces and 82 digs.
 
Up next, the Yellowjackets head to Pittsburgh, PA for University Athletic Association Round Robin #3, wrapping up conference play with matchups against NYU and Brandeis on Sunday, Oct. 27 beginning at 10:00 a.m.