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Mike Owens
3
Winner Stevens STEVENS 20-11
0
RIT RIT 20-18
Winner
Stevens STEVENS
20-11
3
Final
0
RIT RIT
20-18
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Stevens STEVENS 25 25 27 (3)
RIT RIT 23 15 25 (0)
0
Rowan ROW 11-21
3
Winner RIT RIT 21-18
Rowan ROW
11-21
0
Final
3
RIT RIT
21-18
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Rowan ROW 17 15 20 (0)
RIT RIT 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Nate Smith - Assistant Sports Information Director

Volleyball ends regular season by splitting pair of matches at New York State Regional Challenge

Sarah Szybist and Amy Van Hienen named to All-Tournament Team

PITTSFORD, NY – The RIT women's volleyball team ended the regular season by earning a split on day two of the New York State Regional Challenge, hosted by Nazareth on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers (21-18, 7-5 Liberty League) dropped match one in three sets to Stevens (20-11, 8-0 Empire 8), before winning the finale in three sets vs. Rowan (11-20, 5-3 New Jersey Athletic Conference).

Senior Amy Van Hienen (Castor, Alberta/Gus Wetter) and junior Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein) were named to the New York State Regional Challenge All-Tournament Team.
 
In the first match against Stevens, the Tigers jumped out to an early lead in the first set, as a Taylor Harkness (Batavia, NY/Batavia) kill and an attack error on Stevens made it 15-7. But the Ducks clawed back, scoring four straight points en route to closing the gap. With RIT leading 23-22, Stevens scored three straight points, capped off by a Christina Sciarra kill to end the set, at 25-23.
 
Stevens took that momentum into the second set, going on an early 10-3 run to cruise to a 25-15 set win. The third set saw the Ducks once again come out to an early 7-5 lead, but RIT battled back, scoring six straight points, capped off by a Laiz Novaes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Centro Educational) kill.
 
With both teams making runs, it was the Tigers that were up, 25-24, one point away from a fourth set. But Stevens scored three straight points, highlighted by a service ace by Catie Shelton and a block by McKenzie Kingsbury and Emily Ferguson to win the set, 27-25, and the match.
 
The Tigers were led by Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein), who finished as the match leader in kills with 17, adding four digs while hitting .256. Novaes added eight kills and eight digs, with a block and a service ace. Erin Parkinson (Carrollton, TX/W.T. White) led both teams with 38 assists, adding seven digs.
 
For the Ducks, Mary Tobin led the team with 12 kills, and Sydni Horner had a game-high 20 digs. Emily Ferguson had four service aces to lead both squads, along with five kills and 12 digs.
 
"I thought we started very strong and had moments to take set one," said RIT women's volleyball head coach Jim Lodes. "We started being tentative during their comeback. That carried into set two. I felt we regrouped and had a stronger effort in set three. We had chances in sets one and three to beat a good team. I like when we have that level of compete and confidence."
 
In game two, the Tigers took control of Rowan, never trailing throughout the entire match. Set one saw RIT starting the match on a 7-1 run on consecutive Szybist kills. The Owls staged a rally, even tying the set at 11. But the Tigers persevered, going on a few small runs to cap off a 14-6 finish, taking the first set 25-17.
 
In the second set, RIT slowly pulled away as the set progressed, going on runs of seven and four points to take command. A service ace by Novaes gave the Tigers the final point in the 25-15 set win. In the third, RIT jumped out to another early run, scoring the first seven points en route to pulling ahead to a commanding 20-11 lead. The Owls made a late push, going on a run to pull the deficit to four, at 24-20. After a timeout by the Tigers, Anna Valentine (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) sealed the victory with a kill to make it 25-20.
 
Szybist again had a solid game offensively, racking up 16 kills, adding seven digs. Liz Wunder (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy) also played well, finishing with seven kills in two sets, while hitting .600. Parkinson nearly had a double-double, finishing with 32 assists and nine digs. Amy Van Hienen (Castor, Alberta/Gus Wetter) had a game-high three service aces, adding four kills and seven digs. Liz Wunder (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy) and Anna Valentine (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) added six and five kills, respectively.
 
For Rowan, Maggie Catherina led the offense with eight kills, adding six blocks and two service aces. Erica O'Hagan had a team-high 14 digs.

"We played a solid match versus Rowan," said Lodes. "I thought we had many contribute and had a more consistent energy and execution. This was a good weekend for us to get back on track going in to Liberty League Championships next weekend. I'm excited about our opportunity."
 
The Tigers will look towards a NCAA berth, as they compete in the Liberty League Championships, with the semifinals on Nov. 6 at Clarkson University. RIT will play either Union or Clarkson.