Women's Volleyball | 8/30/2013 9:08:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CAZENOVIA, NY – The RIT volleyball team kicked off the 2013 season with a pair of wins at the Cazenovia Blue and Gold Invitational on Friday. RIT began the year by defeating foe Empire 8 rival Alfred in four sets, then defeated Baptist Bible in three sets. Freshman Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein) made a spectacular collegiate debut with 33 kills in the two wins.

RIT defeated Alfred by scores of 25-21, 25-13, 20-25, 26-24. RIT dominated the second set offensively, hitting .474.

Making her collegiate debut, Szybist hit .306 with a team-best 15 kills and two blocks. Sophomore Arielle Pariente (Twinsburg, OH/Twinsburg) made her debut as the starting setter and dished out 22 assists. Junior captain Bethany Davis (Blasdell, NY/Frontier) was stellar defensively, recording 24 digs. First-year Anna Valentine (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) added seven kills and five digs, while Emma Dowdy (Cocoa, FL/Edgewood) slammed four service aces. Sarah Martin (Arlington, VA/Model Secondary School for the Deaf) chipped in with six kills, six digs, and five assists.

The Tigers disptached Baptist Bible by scores of 25-19, 25-13, 27-25 to emerge unscathed on the evening.

Szybist hit .484, slamming 18 kills in 31 attempts. Davis led RIT with 17 assists to go along with 10 digs and five service aces, while Lindsay Quandt (Houston, TX/Houston Christian) also added 10 digs. Pariente chipped in with 12 assists, while Claire Foggo (Windham, NH/Central Catholic) recorded four kills and two solo blocks. Martin had four kills and two servce aces, while Dowdy, Valentine, and Amanda White (Watertown, NY/Watertown) recorded three kills each. Hanna Stokes (Frederick, MD/Urbana) recorded four digs.

RIT is in the "A" bracket and will face Lasell College at 10 a.m. and conclude play against Houghton at 12 p.m.