University of Rochester Athletics

University of Rochester women's volleyball finished off its regular season in efficient fashion, downing the Utica University Pioneers in straight sets, 3-0, in its final regular-season contest on Thursday evening inside the Louis Alexander Palestra.
 
In a match that lasted just over an hour, the Yellowjackets sent over 46 kills and hit 0.316, while the visiting Pioneers hit 0.000 and tallied just 19 kills.
 
Despite an early Utica lead in set one, URochester made its way back from an early 7-2 deficit, tying the match and taking the lead on Juliette Azzariti's serve behind a trio of kills from Emelia Cruz. Cruz's first two kills knotted the score at 10-all, while after a Pioneers' attack error, Cruz sent over another to extend Rochester's advantage to 12-10.
 
A service error briefly slowed the 'Jackets' run before aces from Myla Nover-Estes and Lydia Weeks helped stretch the lead to four. Utica answered with back-to-back kills from Trinity Bailey to cut the deficit back down to two, but that'd be as close as the Pioneers would get the rest of the set.
 
Lilly Kraemer won service back with an ace, and the Yellowjackets reeled off the next six points on Iliana Balaskas' serve, with Maren Smith and Nover-Estes each notching kills.
 
Nover-Estes' kill put the 'Jackets up nine, 23-14, and while the Pioneers cut the deficit to just five with four-straight points, Smith notched another kill to bring up set points, and two points later, Nover-Estes finished off the opening set, 25-20, with a kill.
 
The Yellowjackets then jumped ahead early in set two, reeling off five-straight points to turn a one-point, 5-4 deficit into a four-point advantage. Kraemer and Nover-Estes each contributed two kills over the run, and after an attack error briefly slowed Rochester's roll, the 'Jackets reeled off another five straight to take a 14-6 advantage.
 
Nover-Estes added three more kills over the span, leading all players with 17 in the match, while Paige Stephenson's block put the Yellowjackets up eight.
 
Utica twice trimmed the deficit to five before Rochester finished the set on a big run, scoring five straight and nine of the last 11 points of the set to take the set, 25-13.
 
URochester got going on Emma McCrann's serve, with Cruz and Ellen Porter sending over kills, while McCrann notched an ace. Then back-to-back aces from Lydia Weeks brought up set points, and Kraemer ended the set with a kill from McKenzie McDonald to put Rochester up 2-0.
 
In set three, Rochester again led early, going up 9-3 on kills from Kraemer and Nover-Estes coming on Valeria Berrios Puig's serve. But this time, the Pioneers would answer back, scoring four in a row out of a timeout and taking advantage of two attack errors to tie the set up at 10-all.
 
But the Yellowjackets regrouped out of a timeout and got rolling with three Nover-Estes kills, before a block from Cruz and Porter made it a five-point, 15-10 lead. Four more after a service error extended Rochester's advantage to 19-10, while a pair of Weeks' aces, as well as another kill from Smith, put the 'Jackets up 23-14.
 
Utica answered back with two points, but an attack error brought up match points, and after Layla Rice sent over a kill, Kraemer answered back to again close out the set, and this time the match, 25-17.
 
With the win, Rochester wraps up the regular season at 11-13, while Utica falls to 9-19 with the loss.
 
Nover-Estes had a game-high 17 kills, while Cruz added eight and a team-high three blocks. Weeks led Rochester with 12 digs and five aces, while Balaskas (19) and McDonald (14) both had double-digit assists.
 
The Yellowjackets next head to Pittsburgh, PA, for the UAA Championship, hosted by Carnegie Mellon. Rochester will face top-seeded NYU in its first-round matchup on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 11:00 a.m.