PITTSFORD, NY – The University of Rochester volleyball team secured a crosstown victory on Tuesday evening, posting a three-set sweep over Nazareth University at Kidera Gymnasium.
Two nail-biting wins in the first two sets, both by 26-24 scores in favor of the Yellowjackets (6-3) highlighted the match, with URochester securing the sweep with a convincing 25-13 win in the third and final set.
Nazareth drops to 1-4 on the season with the loss.
Three 'Jackets posted seven or more kills to lead the offense, paced by
Myla Nover-Estes who had 14.
Emilyn Dienger had eight kills, while
Ellen Porter added seven.
Juliette Azzariti handed out 18 assists while
Iliana Balaskas had 12 to go along with nine digs.
In a back-and-forth opening set, a run of four straight points gave Nazareth a 22-20 lead before kills from Nover-Estes and
Paige Stephenson tied the score. The Golden Flyers ended up getting a set point, sitting up 24-23, but Nover-Estes put another one down to send the game to extra points.
Porter finished off a kill to give UR a set point and the 26-24 win was earned following a Golden Flyer attack error.
Nazareth started quick in set two, jumping ahead 7-1 after eight points. The Golden Flyers kept the pressure on, eventually leading 19-10 before the Yellowjackets began to chip away.
With the lead 21-13 in favor of Nazareth, kills from Dienger and
Emelia Cruz, along with a Balaskas ace fueled a 4-1 run to make the score 22-17. Nazareth got one point back to pull within two of taking the set, but Rochester scored the next three to regain some momentum.
A block from the Golden Flyers gave the hosts a set point before Rochester turned the tables and rattled off the next six points to end the set. Two Nover-Estes kills and an ace from Cruz were big points in the late set run for the Yellowjackets.
URochester started fast in the final set, going up 5-2. The lead was pushed to 11-4 after a six-point run that had a block from Cruz and
Maren Smith and a kill from Dienger.
The Yellowjackets had another five-point run later in the set, moving the score to 21-8. Stephenson provided two kills in that spurt, and later UR got a kill from Smith to end the set and the overall match.
Rochester's win over Nazareth was the 47th all-time in the history between the schools. UR has also won nine straight meetings now, dating back to the 2016 season.
Up next, the Yellowjackets head west to Buffalo State University this weekend, competing in the Bengal Challenge with matches against host Buffalo State, SUNY Geneseo and John Carroll.
