Women's Volleyball | 9/26/2010 2:58:35 PM

Click here for stats against Stevens

Click here for stats against Utica

ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT volleyball team (12-4, 4-0 Empire 8) rallied to win the final two sets and defeat Stevens (12-4, 2-2 Empire 8) in a stirring five-set match then defeated Utica (1-16, 0-4 Empire 8) on Sunday afternoon at Clark Gym.  RIT opens Empire 8 play with a 4-0 mark and lead the conference after the first weekend of games.  The second and final weekend will be Oct. 22-23 at Ithaca.

Against Stevens, RIT won the first set 25-21, then dropped the next two, 25-16, 25-22.  RIT came back and won set four, 25-20, then won the fifth and final set, 15-13.  RIT came back from 10-8 deficit in the final set.

Down 10-8 in the final set, RIT scored three straight points on three consecutive blocks.  Christina Worth (Valencia, CA/Valencia) and Kristin Parish (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) combined for a pair of blocks, while Jessica Schaffer (Wellington, OH/Keystone) had a solo block.  After Stevens tied it at 11, Schaffer slammed a kill to make it 12-11 Tigers.  Cat Sullivan (Lehman, PA/Lake-Lehman) gave RIT the lead for good at 13-12 with a kill.  Rebecca Moore (San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo) secured the win for RIT with a kill from the outside.

Kyra Wilson-Houck (Painted Post, NY/Corning West) led RIT with a career-high 17 kills.  Schaffer recorded 19 digs to go along with 16 kills.  Moore added 10 kills and four service aces.  Worth dished out 45 assists and added 14 digs, while Megan Henriksen (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel) also had 14 digs.  Parish led RIT with seven blocks and four service aces.  Audrey DiPoala (Victor, NY/Victor) chipped in with 11 digs.

RIT cruised to a 25-14, 25-8, 25-20 win over Utica in the finale.  Moore led the way with nine kills in just 11 attempts.  Worth dished out 16 assists in two games, while Cristine Schiavello (West Chester, PA/Unionville) added seven helpers.  Worth also had four service aces.  Katie Sessions (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) led RIT with six digs. 

Schaffer also became the seventh Tiger to record 1,500 kills in a career on Sunday.

Yesterday, RIT secured wins over Alfred and Ithaca.

The Tigers return to action on Wednesday, with a non-conference match against SUNY Cortland at Clark Gym.  Action begins at 7 p.m.