BROCKPORT, NY - Fresh off a berth in the Liberty League playoffs for the second consecutive year, the RIT women's volleyball (18-16) team fell to The College at Brockport (29-1) in three sets in the Eagle Empire game on Tuesday evening.

The Tigers (18-16, 7-5 Liberty League) were led by Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein), who finished the game with 10 kills and four digs. Laiz Novaes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Centro Educational) and Amy Van Hienen (Castor, Alberta/Gus Wetter) each added nine kills. Erin Parkinson (Carrollton, TX/W.T. White) had 26 assists to help the RIT attack, adding a team-high eight digs, two service aces and a block.

For the Golden Eagles, Kayla Barber led both teams in kills with 15, adding four blocks. Kathleen Irwin provided the defense with 14 digs, and Noelle Poloncarz helped the Brockport attack with 29 assists.

Brockport came out to a 7-4 lead in the first set, but the Tigers quickly answered, going on a run to take a four-point lead. Brockport then turned it on, going on another run to eventually take the set, 25-21.

The Golden Eagles took that momentum from the first set and used it to go on a tear, opening up a lead as high as 10, at 13-3 in the second set. RIT made a run late in the set, but the lead was too much, as the Golden Eagles eventually won 25-17 on a RIT serve error.

The third set was a much tighter affair, with the Tigers trying to steal a set from Brockport. The lead switched back and forth between the teams, and the Tigers held a slight 9-8 lead early on. The Golden Eagles stayed resilient throughout, taking the lead, then slowly pulled away from RIT. A kill by Brockport's Emily Flohr and an attack error were the final points in the Golden Eagles' win.
 
"I thought we competed well at times versus a good team," said RIT head coach Jim Lodes. "We still need to be persistent with our energy, communication and finish. When we do those things well, we can compete with anyone."
 
The Tigers will celebrate their seniors on Wednesday, as they host SUNY Geneseo (14-16, 3-6 SUNYAC) in the Senior Night contest at Clark gym at 6 p.m. Novaes, Van Hienen, Kayla Wheeler (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa), Abby Higgins (Peru, NY/Peru), Taylor Harkness (Batavia, NY/Batavia), and Sara Martin (Rochester, NY/West Irondequoit) will all be honored.