KEUKA PARK, NY – The RIT volleyball team opened the 2015 season with a resounding three-set win over host Keuka College from the Keuka Recreation Center on Tuesday evening. RIT won set one, 25-20, and rolled to a 25-11 win in set two and a 25-13 victory in the final set.
The Tigers had 17 service aces to just three receiving errors. Overall, RIT hit .216 while holding the Storm to a -.045 percentage. RIT used big runs in each of the final two sets to pull away.
Sarah Szybist (Chicago, IL/Ramstein), a 2014 AVCA Third Team All-American and 2013 honorable mention selection, picked up right where she left off last season, leading the squad with 15 kills, while hitting .345. She surpassed the 1,300-kill plateau for her illustrious career. Szybist also led the squad with eight digs and added three service aces.
The duo of
Emma Dowdy (Cocoa, FL/Edgewood) and
Erin Parkinson (Carrollton, TX/W.T. White) combined for 21 assists.
Laiz Novaes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Centro Educational) added four kills in eight attempts, while
Liz Wunder (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy) had three assisted blocks.
Abby Higgins (Peru, NY/Peru) led RIT with four aces, while
Rebecca Bennett (Springfield, PA/Springfield) added six digs.
"I was really happy with how we played tonight, as we were able to get a lot of people on the court and we were able to maintain a strong level of play," said RIT head coach
Jim Lodes. "With the great serving team that Keuka is I thought our ball control and serve receive was very effective."
First-year players
Sara Taylor (Tonanwanda, NY/Kenmore East), Wunder,
Aleah Chinn (Wichita, KS/Witchita Southeast), and Parkinson made their collegiate debuts.
Jadine Buddingh led the Storm with seven kills, while Alyssa Rex and Kayla Brown combined to record 11 assists.
The Tigers improved to 19-1 all-time against the Storm.
RIT is right back in action this weekend, travelling to Gettysburg College for the 2015 Battlefield Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Tigers play Mt. St. Mary at 5 p.m. and McDaniel at 7 p.m. Friday and take on Gallaudet Saturday at 10 a.m. and Yorl (Pa.) at noon.
