ROCHESTER, NY - Freshman right side/outside hitter #Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein)# slammed a career-high and national season's best 38 kills to lead the RIT volleyball team (12-15) to a thrilling five-set win over SUNY Cortland (12-15) at Clark Gym on Tuesday evening. Cortland took the first set 26-24, while RIT rallied to win the second set by the same score. In set three, Cortland prevailed 20-15 before RIT took the fourth set, 25-18. The Tigers would win the fifth and deciding set, 15-13.

The match was tied at 10-10 in the deciding set when Szybist took over, slamming kills on consecutive points to give RIT the 12-10 lead. RIT would go up 14-11 before Cortland rallied with two straight points to make it a 14-13 score. #Emma Dowdy (Cocoa, FL/Edgewood)# would send a perfect pass to Szybist who was able to get her hit in past the Cortland blockers to end the match.

The Tigers hit .688 in the fifth and decisive set. RIT hit .513 over the final two sets.

Szybist, who entered tonight's match in the top-10 nationally in both kills and points per set, just missed the school record for kills in a match of 44, set by Tracy Wilt on Sept. 24, 1996 vs. Rochester. She attempted a career-best 73 attacks, added 14 digs, four blocks, and three service aces. The 38 kills are the second most in one match in RIT volleyball history. Coming into the game, the national single-game high for kills in a match this season was 32, done four times.

Szybist now has 469 kills in 27 matches this season.

#Sara Martin (Rochester, NY/West Irondequoit)# had a career-best 15 kills, while Dowdy recorded 46 assists, 16 digs, and five kills. #Bethany Davis (Blasdell, NY/Frontier)# chipped in with 19 digs, while #Abby Higgins (Peru, NY/Peru)# had a team-best five blocks.

Ava hintz led the Red Dragons with 17 kills, while hitting .452 to go along with nine blocks. Aubrey Barrett had 16 kills, while Samantha Czeczotka added 10 kills and 11 digs. Liz Roberts dished out 43 assists.

Tonight was RIT's second straight five-set win over a SUNYAC school. Last Tuesday, the Tigers rallied from two sets down to defeat The College of Brockport in five.

Cortland now leads the all-time series between the two schools, 38-24. It is RIT's first win over the Red Dragons since 2008.

The Tigers return to action on Friday and Saturday at the Liberty League crossover weekend, hosted by Union. On Friday, RIT plays Bard at 5 p.m. and Skidmore at 7:30 p.m.