CANTON, NY - The RIT volleyball team (17-14, 6-4 Liberty League) went 0-2 on Friday at the Liberty League Crossover hosted by St. Lawrence Unversity. The Tigers were defeated by Union in three sets (16-25, 23-25, 21-25) to start the evening and fell in five sets (21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 16-25, 11-15) to host St. Lawrence in the night cap. RIT can either finish third or fourth in the league standings, depending on what happens tomorrow.

In the opener against Union, the Dutchwomen won the first set, 25-16. RIT rallied in the second set, but fell 25-23, before losing 25-21 in set three.

Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein) led RIT with 19 kills, while Erin Parkinson (Carrollton, TX/W.T. White) dished out 30 assists to go along with 11 digs. Amy VanHienen added eight kills and 13 digs and 12 kills, while Laiz Novaes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Centro Educational) had three assisted blocks and 13 digs.

"I thought Union played very well," said RIT head coach Jim Lodes."We battled, but had stretches of tentaiveness. We need to be more aggressive. I like our demeanor when we are confident." 

Versus St. Lawrence, RIT dropped the first set 25-21. The Tigers rebounded to win the next two sets, 26-24 and 25-20, before falling in the fourth set, 25-16. RIT fell behind early in the fifth set and never recovered, losing 15-11.

"St. Lawrence is relentless. They keep coming at you," said Lodes. "I thought we had stretches where we matched thier intensity. We need to keep our energy and confidence high for tomorrow's matches versus Skidmore and Clarkson."

Szybist led RIT with 18 kills and five assisted blocks. Novaes added 11 kills to go along with 14 digs and three service aces. Parkinson dished out 40 assists and added 16 digs, while Taylor Harkness (Batavia, NY/Batavia) had 10 kills.

RIT returns to action on Saturday when the Tigers play a pair of Liberty League matches at Clarkson Universty. RIT faces No. 17 Clarkson and noon, followed by a match with Skidmore at 2 p.m.