WALTHAM, MA – No. 8-seeded University of Rochester women's volleyball fell to the University of Chicago Maroons and Case Western Reserve University Spartans at the University Athletic Association Women's Volleyball Championship on Saturday, hosted by Brandeis at the Gosman Athletic Center.
 
The Yellowjackets (4-22) took a set but fell to the No. 1-seeded Maroons, 3-1, in their opening match of the championship, before getting swept by No. 5-seeded CWRU in the consolation semifinal. With the two results, URochester advances to the UAA Championship seventh-place match, where they'll face No. 7-seeded Brandeis on Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
 
In the Championship, No. 2-seeded WashU will square off with No. 4-seeded Carnegie Mellon, who upset the Maroons in the semifinals, while UChicago and No. 6-seeded NYU will face off in the third-place match.
 
MATCH ONE: Chicago 3, Rochester 1
Each of the first three sets against the top-seeded Maroons would prove to be tight, with the 'Jackets hanging with UChicago early. Despite an early 11-5 Chicago lead, URochester regrouped out a timeout and rallied for four-straight points to pull within two, 11-9.
 
Rylee Bergeron's kills, along with a trio of Maroon errors, made it a two-point contest, while Sancia Williams' kill, as well as a block from Lilly Kraemer and Myla Nover-Estes again made it a two-point game, 14-12, just a few points later.
 
However, a 4-0 Chicago run forced Rochester to take a timeout down six, 18-12, and three more just three serves later put the Maroons up 22-14. Lydia Weeks followed a service error with an ace to pull the 'Jackets back within six, with Bergeron sent over another kill.
 
But the Maroons finished off the set with three-straight points, with a pair of Thalita Marangon kills helping Chicago finish off the set, 25-17, to take a 1-0 match lead.
 
Rochester responded and jumped ahead early in set two, scoring five in a row to break a 3-3 tie, with a pair of Kraemer kills highlighting the run. The Yellowjackets led by as many as eight early on, before a 5-1 UChicago spurt cut the 'Jackets' lead to just four.
 
Leading 13-9, URochester called a timeout and scored the next three points, but again Chicago roared back and cut the deficit to just two, 16-14, on Gabi Spellings' ace.
 
Bergeron and Williams answered back with a pair of kills, while Olivia Zamis and Ellie Maxwell returned the favor to again make it a two-point game. However, after a service error gave the 'Jackets the serve, Bergeron wouldn't give it back till set point.
 
Six-straight Rochester points, with a Chicago timeout sandwiched in-between helped the 'Jackets finish off the set, with two Nover-Estes kills and back-to-back Bergeron aces bringing up set point. And a point later, Williams smashed a kill to give URochester the set, 25-17, and tie the match at one set apiece.
 
Then in set three, the 'Jackets scored four in a row early, but Chicago came back with a 6-1 run down 8-6, taking a 12-9 lead and forcing Rochester to take a timeout. Another point out of the timeout made it  a four-point Maroon advantage, but the Yellowjackets would battle back with kills from Bergeron, Ellen Porter and Williams.
 
Williams' kill pulled URochester within a point, 14-13, while back-to-back Nover-Estes kills a few serves later again made it a one-point game. But the Yellowjackets would score just one point the rest of the way, as the Maroons finished off the set on an 8-1 run, taking the set, 25-17, and a 2-0 match lead.
 
The Maroons then brought that momentum into the fourth set, racing out to an 11-2 lead and never looking back. UChicago hit .294 in the fourth set while forcing 13 UR attack errors, taking the set, 25-10, to finish off the match, 3-1.
 
Nover-Estes led the 'Jackets with nine kills, with Bergeron and Williams adding eight and seven apiece. Bergeron also tallied a team-high three aces, while Weeks led URochester defensively with 17 digs and Porter had five block assists.
 
For Chicago, Marangon led all scorers with 11 kills, as the Maroons outhit the 'Jackets, .172 to -.015.
 
MATCH TWO: CWRU 3, Rochester 0
The Spartans jumped ahead with an 8-1 run early in set one, extending a one-point lead into a 13-5 advantage and leading by as many as 12, 20-8, before Rochester took its second timeout of the match.
 
And while out of the timeout, Williams and Nover-Estes sent over kills, CWRU would cruise to a 25-12 set-one victory, finishing off the win with a block from Amanda Ngo.
 
The Yellowjackets led early in set two, as they looked to answer back behind a trio of kills from Bergeron and Williams. But another Spartans' run gave Case Western Reserve an 11-7 advantage, forcing Rochester to take a timeout.
 
A kill and ace out of the timeout pulled the 'Jackts back within two, but Case Western Reserve responded with another strong stretch, outscoring the Yellowjackets, 13-4 over the next 17 points to extend its lead to 24-13 and bring up set point.
 
Bergeron sent over another kill to extend the match, but the Spartans would finish things off, 25-14, and go up 2-0 in the match on a UR ball handling error.
 
After some back-and-forth play, set three would prove to be more of the same, as a 6-1 run gave the Spartans a 12-9 lead they'd never relinquish. Rochester would keep things close and trail by just two, 18-16, after another Bergeron kill, but CWRU would put the game out of reach with the next six points, and then finish off the set, 25-18, to take the match, 3-0.
 
Individually, Bergeron led the 'Jackets with 12 kills, and added 13 digs. Defensively, Katie Westerheim led Rochester with 16 digs, while Weeks added 11.
 
As a team, URochester tallied 31 kills, hitting .087, while CWRU totaled 38 kills and a .289 hitting percentage.
 
The Yellowjackets will wrap up the 2025 campaign with the UAA seventh-place match against Brandeis on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 9:30 a.m. in Waltham, MA.