POTSDAM, NY - The RIT volleyball team (8-10, 1-1 Liberty League) opened up Liberty League play by splitting a pair of matches hosted by Clarkson University on Friday evening. The Tigers began the evening by losing in three sets to St. Lawrence (9-5, 1-1 LL), then rebounded by defeating Bard (2-13, 0-3 LL) in three sets.

The Tigers struggled in the opener against St. Lawrence, losing by scores of 25-7, 25-10, and 25-16. #Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein)# was the lone bright spot offensively for RIT in the match, hitting .200 with 12 kills and six digs. #Bethany Davis (Blasdell, NY/Frontier)# recorded 10 digs, while #Emma Dowdy (Cocoa, FL/Edgewood)# dished out 13 assists. RIT had just two service aces and one block in the match.

St. Lawrence hit .421 as a team. Lexi Brown led the Saints with nine kills, while Rebecca Doser hit .750 with six kills and six blocks.

RIT rebounded nicely in the victory over Bard, winning by scores of 25-10, 25-17, 25-9. RIT hit .274 as a team with 13 service aces.

Szybist hit .548, slamming 20 kills to go along with 10 digs. She entered the weekend in the top-10 nationally in kills and kills per set.

#Lauren Gotsch (Derby, NY/Lake Shore)#, Dowdy, and #Arielle Pariente (Twinsburg, OH/Twinsburg) combined to dish out 28 assists. (Chicago, IL/Ramstein)Anna Valentine (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon)# recorded five digs, four service aces and four kills, while Gotsch also had three aces. #Amanda White (Watertown, NY/Watertown)# recorded three kills

The TIgers are right back in action on Saturday with a pair of league matches hosted by St. Lawrence. The Tigers open with Clarkson at 12 p.m. and conclude against Vassar at 2:30 p.m.