ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY - The RIT volleyball team (17-12, 6-2 Liberty League) clinched a berth in the Liberty League postseason tournament by defeating Skidmore (7-18, 1-6 Liberty League) in five sets and Vassar (11-11, 5-7 Liberty League) in three sets at Bard College on Saturday.

RIT, who finished as the Liberty League runner-up in 2014, is currently tied for second in the league standings with Union. RIT can finish as high as first and as low as fourth, depending on what happens next weekend.

In the opener against Skidmore, RIT won the first set, 25-17, before dropping sets two and three, 25-19, and 25-20. The Tigers rallied to win set four, 25-15 and the fifth and decisive set, 15-11. RIT slammed 21 kills and hit .486 in the fourth set.

Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein) slammed 23 kills, while Erin Parkinson (Carrollton, TX/W.T. White) dished out a career-best 49 assists to go along with a team-high 17 digs. Laiz Novaes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Centro Educational) had a double-double with 14 digs and 12 kills, along with a team-high three service aces. Taylor Harkness (Batavia, NY/Batavia) added 10 kills and hit .333, while Amy Van Hienen (Castor, Alberta/Gus Wetter) chipped in with nine kills and 12 digs.

Caite Canfield led Skidmore with 10 kills, while Kalle Fox added 14 assists. Marcela Familiar recorded a match-high 24 digs.

"I think Skidmore made us uncomfortable at times with their relentless play," said RIT head coach Jim Lodes. I'm pleased we found a way to compete in sets four and five to get a good win.

"We played a solid, fundamental match," said Lodes. "Overall, we had a good weekend and have positioned ourselves for next weekend."

RIT clinched the playoff berth by taking care of Vassar in three sets, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19.

Szybist led the way offensively with 11 kills, hitting .348. Kayla Wheeler (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) hit .462 with eight kills and two blocks, while Novaes added eight more kills. Rebecca Bennett (Springfield, PA/Springfield) had a team-high 12 digs, while Van Hienen added four service aces.

Gabby Miller led Vassar with 11 kills and 10 digs, while Annie MacMillan dished out 18 assists. Chloe Hallum added 10 digs.

Last night, RIT defeated Bard in three sets before falling to Union in five sets.

RIT returns to action next weekend to wrap up Liberty League regular season play at St. Lawrence and Clarkson. On Friday. Oct. 23, the Tigers play Union and St. Lawrence and on Saturday, they play Clarkson and Skidmore.