ATLANTA, GA – The University of Rochester women's volleyball dropped their weekend finale to the New York University Violets, 3-0, to wrap up the University Athletic Association's Round Robin #1, hosted by Emory inside Woodruff Arena.
 
An attack error by Chloe Hynes gave Rochester the first point of the match, but the Violets would jump ahead early, with two of the next three and seven of the next nine points. Trailing 7-3, Sancia Williams sent over a kill, while an attack error pulled UR within a pair, as the Yellowjackets kept the Violets within striking distance in the early going.
 
However, another 5-1 stretch by NYU extended the deficit back to five, 13-8, forcing Rochester to take its first timeout following a kill from Grace Nelson. And while out of the timeout, Ellen Porter and Williams notched kills, the Violets would go on another run and take a 19-11 lead following back-to-back URochester errors.
 
Three points later, a block by Nelson, Coco Barton and Stella Dillon forced Rochester to take another timeout, trailing 21-13, and this time, the 'Jackets would respond, coming out of the timeout with a fury.
 
A service error gave UR the serve, while back-to-back kills from Rylee Bergeron jump-started the 'Jackets offensively. Rochester cut NYU's lead to four, 22-18, before the Violets took a timeout, and then closed the gap to three, 23-20, with another two Bergeron kills.
 
But the Violets won the serve back on an attack error and then finished off the set on Nelson's kill, taking a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-20 set-one victory.
 
NYU then surged out to an early lead in the second set, opening a 7-3 advantage before the 'Jackets took a timeout. With an 8-2 run, though, the Yellowjackets would turn that four-point deficit into a two-point lead.
 
Trailing 10-6, Rochester rallied for four of five points, with Lilly Kraemer's kill pulling the 'Jackets within a point and forcing NYU to take a timeout. And while Nelson smashed another kill out of the timeout, the Yellowjackets scored the next four points to take a 14-12 lead on Katie Westerheim's ace, following kills from Bergeron and Kraemer, as well as a block by Kraemer and McDonald.
 
UR led by three, 16-3, following another Bergeron kill, but NYU answered back with a run, knotting the score at 16-all, before ties again at 17-17, 18-18, and 19-all. Williams' kill answered a kill from Coco Barton to level the match at 19, but Barton hit another kill to put the Violets back up, kicking off a 6-1 run for NYU to wrap up the set, 25-20.
 
Up 2-0, the Violets then raced ahead early, looking to finish off the sweep, forcing an early Rochester timeout and leading by as many as eight before UR took its second timeout.
 
NYU would keep rolling and lead back as many as 10, 20-10, and while the Yellowjackets rallied late with back-to-back Bergeron service aces helping UR hold off match point three times, Sarah Lattan smashed a kill to finish off the set, 25-17, and the match, 3-0.
 
With the win, NYU moves to 9-5 (2-1 UAA) on the year, while the Yellowjackets drop to 3-11 (0-3 UAA).
 
Bergeron again led Rochester offensively with 12 kills, adding 10 digs for her second-straight double-double. McDonald had a team-high 12 assists while Bergeron and Westerheim each sent over two aces.
 
Defensively, Lydia Weeks had a team-high 14 digs, while four different Yellowjackets: Kraemer, McDonald, Porter and Williams, combined for a pair of blocks.
 
As a team, the 'Jackets tallied 26 kills, while NYU had 40. The Violets also outhit UR, .232 to .029, and had 11 blocks, compared to just two for Rochester.
 
The Yellowjackets return to New York State for their next two contests, beginning with a mid-week matchup at William Smith on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 7:00 p.m.