ITHACA, NY – University of Rochester women's volleyball dropped a pair of closely-contested, three-set matches on Saturday afternoon against No. 18 Ithaca and John Carroll to wrap up its weekend at the Bomber Invitational at Ben Light Gymnasium. The host and 18th-ranked Bombers topped UR, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22, while the Blue Streaks topped the 'Jackets in the final match of the day, 25-16, 28-26, 26-24.
 
With the two losses, Rochester falls to 0-3 on the season, while Ithaca moves to 3-0, and John Carroll now sits at 1-2 on the year. The Yellowjackets are back in action next Saturday, Sept. 6, when they head to Cortland, NY, for SUNY Cortland's Red Dragon Classic, beginning with a matchup against Hartwick College at 12:00 p.m.
 
MATCH ONE: #18 Ithaca 3, Rochester 0
UR took advantage of a pair of attack errors to notch the first three points of the opening set, and led by two after the 'Jackets' first kill of the day from Isis Pribble.
 
Another kill by Lilly Kraemer put the Yellowjackets up by a point after Ithaca tied it, before the two sides traded points and saw ties at 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10. After a service error leveled the score at 10-all, though, the Bombers rallied for five-straight points, scoring four-straight and forcing Rochester to take a timeout, and notching another point out of the timeout to make it 15-10.
 
Sancia Williams and Pribble responded with a pair of kills to pull Rochester within three, but a 6-2 run from the Bombers extended Ithaca's lead to 21-13, and forced UR to spend another timeout.
 
Down eight, Rochester would close the gap to four, halving the Bombers' lead before a kill from Addison Leadbetter set up set point. And while Myla Nover-Estes answered Leadbetter with a kill of her own, pulling UR back within four, 24-20, a service error gave Ithaca the set, 25-20, and a 1-0 match lead.
 
After Ithaca scored the first point of the second set, UR scored five straight on Nover-Estes' serve, two from aces from the junior and another from Juliette Azzariti's kill. But the Bombers quickly responded with a run of their own, turning a 6-2, four-point deficit into an 11-6 advantage.
 
The Bombers tallied nine in a row, seven before a Rochester timeout and another two more out of the timeout, capped off by a block from Ella Graper and Zoe Strachan.
 
Trailing 11-6, the Yellowjackets kept things close with a quick two points, as Nover-Estes picked up three-straight kills over the next six serves. And while Ithaca would extend its advantage up to five, 21-16, Rochester would rally to retake the lead down the stretch.
 
A service error, ace and kill from Nover-Estes cut the Bombers' lead to two. Ithaca then took a timeout, but the Yellowjackets kept things rolling with the next two points and four of the next five, taking a 23-22 lead following three more kills from Nover-Estes and an attack error.
 
However, the Bombers would answer back and score the next three points to take the set, 25-23, and go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Nover-Estes smashed another kill to start the third set, one of a game-high 16 for the junior, as the Bombers and Yellowjackets went back and forth to open the frame. Ithaca went up early 4-1 before UR answered back, while five of six from the home side forced a 'Jacket timeout down 12-7.
 
Out of the timeout, UR answered back, taking the lead with a 10-2 run that turned a 12-7 deficit into a 17-14 advantage. Kills from five different Yellowjackets and three aces, two from Iliana Balaskas and one from Lydia Weeks, highlighted Rochester's run, as UR went up three, looking to force a fourth set.
 
Ithaca answered with the next three points to knot the score at 17, and after the two sides traded timeouts, the 'Jackets reeled off four in a row to take a 21-17 lead. However, this time after a Bomber timeout, Ithaca would score eight of the final nine points to clinch the set and match, coming back from a four-point deficit to take the set, 25-22, and sweep the match, 3-0.
 
Nover-Estes led the 'Jackets with 16 kills, while Balaskas and Azzariti notched 14 and 13 assists apiece. Balaskas also had a team-high three service aces, while defensively, Weeks had 14 blocks, and Katie Westerheim added 10.
 
As a team, both UR and Ithaca tallied 31 kills, but the Bombers outhit the 'Jackets, .185 to .067.
 
MATCH ONE: John Carroll 3, Rochester 0
John Carroll jumped ahead early in the opening set, hitting .222 in the first set, compared to .000 for UR. The Blue Streaks scored the first three points of the set, and led 8-5 before three quick Rochester points leveled the score at eight-all.
 
The Blue Streaks re-took the lead with a service error and a kill by Natalie Glowe, and while Kraemer answered Glowe's kill, John Carroll scored the next five points to take a 15-9 lead.
 
Down 14-9, the 'Jackets called a timeout to regroup, but the Blue Streaks would extend their lead to as many as nine, 21-12, before Rochester was able to score three in a row to pull back within six.
 
Pribble notched two points with a kill and an ace, while Paige Stephenson tallied a block, but John Carroll came right back with three points of their own, and then finished off the set with another Glowe kill for set points to take the first set, 25-16.
 
The second and third sets would prove to be much closer, with Rochester hitting .136 in the second and .146 in the third. But despite an early 7-0 advantage in the second set for UR, as John Carroll was unable to break Balaskas' serve, the Blue Streaks responded with a 7-0 run of their own to even the set, and then scored five more after a service error to take a 12-8 lead.
 
Trailing 20-17 later on in the second set, Rochester would come back to tie the score at 22 on Azzariti's ace, and again at 23-23, 24-24 and 25-25 on kills from Williams and Nover-Estes.
 
But despite taking a 26-25 lead and setting up their first set point on a kill from Nover-Estes, the Blue Streaks called a timeout and answered with three-straight kills of their own to take the second set, 28-26, and go up two sets to none.
 
The two sides would then go back and forth to start the third set, before John Carroll jumped ahead with four-straight points, forcing Rochester to spend a timeout. Down 13-6, a block by Stephenson and Williams slowed the Blue Streaks' roll, while another block by Nover-Estes and Stephenson kick-started a UR run.
 
With six-of-seven points, Rochester cut an eight-point deficit down to three, and then pulled within two with three of the next four. Aces from Nover-Estes and Weeks, as well as kills from Balaskas and Nover-Estes, highlighted the run, as UR trailed just 18-16 midway through the third.
 
John Carroll then went back up by five and the 'Jackets called a timeout, but UR would storm back with another big run, taking a 24-23 lead and setting up set point. Maren Smith and Nover-Estes combined for five kills over the six-point stretch, but an attack error evened the score at 24 and gave JCU the serve, and the Yellowjackets would never get it back.
 
Amanda Scaperotta's service ace put John Carroll up one, and the Blue Streaks finished the set and match with a kill from Mary Kate Sheehan, taking the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-0.
 
Nover-Estes again led UR with 16 kills, while Balaskas dished out a team-high 12 assists and added two service aces. Defensively, Weeks tallied 26 digs, while Stephenson had five blocks and Nover-Estes notched three.