POTSDAM, NY – The RIT volleyball team had its 2015 season come to an end, falling to top-seed Clarkson University, (26-8) ranked 17th nationally, in three sets in the Liberty League Semifinal match on Friday evening. The Tigers finish the season with a 21-19 record.
 
Clarkson used a big run to break open a close first set to win, 25-20. In set two, Clarkson jumped out to a 15-6 lead before RIT got it as close as 16-14 before eventually winning, 25-19. In set three, RIT and Clarkson were knotted 8-8 before the Knights went on another big run in the 25-15 closeout.
 
Junior outside hitter Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein) led the way offensively for RIT with 11 kills and 12 digs. She finished the season with 494 kills and is fifth all-time at the university with 1,793 career kills in three seasons. She is 184 away from the program record.
 
Freshman setter Erin Parkinson (Carrollton, TX/W.T. White) recorded a team-best 25 assists, while Taylor Harkness (Batavia, NY/Batavia) added six kills, and Laiz Novaes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Centro Educational), five, respectively. Novaes added seven digs, while Harkness had two blocks.
 
Rachael Aird hit .588 and slammed 11 kills for the Knights. Aishvina Arasu added 10 kills, while Victoria Kirkemo and Lauren Hutchinson added eight apiece. Hutchinson hit a remarkable .889, as the Knights overall hit .326 as a team. Kristie Shurle dished out 35 assists, while Tara Stilwell added 10 digs.
 
"Congratulations to Clarkson," said RIT head coach Jim Lodes. "I felt that we had some momentum a few times and they reacted very well after their timeouts. That's a sign of a good team. As we continue to mature as a program we will need to sustain our level of execution so that we can compete with the best teams in our region. I hope that we take away from this a desire to do the work to come back even stronger next fall."
 
Clarkson is going for its fourth straight Liberty League Championship. The Golden Knights went 12-0 in Liberty League play for the third straight season and has won 43 straight games including the postseason against league foes.
 
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 25-17. Clarkson has won all 12 meetings since RIT joined the Liberty League in 2011.
 
Tonight marked the final collegiate contest for the senior class of Harkness, Novaes, Abby Higgins (Peru, NY/Peru), Amy Van Hienen (Castor, Alberta/Gus Wetter), Sara Martin (Rochester, NY/West Irondequoit), and Kayla Wheeler (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa).
 
"I'm really proud of our seniors," said Lodes. "Their growth allowed us to take another step in the direction we need to go and I thank them for that."