PITTSFORD, NY – The RIT volleyball team (3-4) opened up play at the Golden Flyer Invitational on Friday with a pair of losses to Medaille (1-1) and host Nazareth (4-2). The Tigers fell to Medaille in three sets, while dropping a four-set decision to the Golden Flyers from Kidera Gymnasium.

In the opener against Medaille, the Mavericks won the first set by a close 25-21 score before pulling away to sweep the Tigers in sets one and two by identical 25-16 scores.

RIT hit just .029 in the loss to Medaille, as Laiz Novaes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Centro Educational) slammed a team-best five kills. Kayla Wheeler (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) hit .333 with four kills with four blocks, while Sara Martin (Rochester, NY/West Irondequoit) also added four kills. Amy Van Hienen (Castor, Alberta/Gus Wetter) had a team-high 14 digs, while Emma Dowdy (Cocoa, FL/Edgewood) (11) and Erin Parkinson (Carrollton, TX/W.T. White) (8) combined for 19 assists. Dowdy and Rebecca Bennett (Springfield, PA/Springfield) added nine digs each.

Susan Muldoon led the Mavericks with 10 kills and hit .400, while Simmone Talford had 24 assists, and Hannah Johnson recorded 16 digs.

"Medaille played a fundamentally sound match with great energy," said RIT head coach Jim Lodes. "We need to match or exceed that level to compete this weekend."

Against Nazareth, RIT came out strong and won the first set, 25-20, before the Golden Flyers came back to win the next three sets and the match. Nazareth won the second set by a 25-20 margin, rolled in set three, 25-11, before holding off the Tigers in the decisive set, 25-21. RIT had 25 of its 42 totals kills in the first two sets.

Novaes led the Tigers offensively for the second straight match, slamming 11 kills to go along with 11 digs. Van Hienen added nine kills, while Parkinson dished out 33 assists to go along with 14 digs. Taylor Harkness (Batavia, NY/Batavia) had seven kills and two service aces, while Wheeler had four blocks.

Cady Messmer led the Golden Flyers with 10 kills and added 11 digs, while Maureen Thayer had 26 assists. Olivia Krick recorded 14 digs and six service aces.

"I thought we competed better in this match," said Lodes. "We still need to be more assertive. When we are confident, we are an exciting team to coach."

RIT is back in action on Saturday to wrap up play at the Golden Flyer Invitational. The Tigers play Hilbert at 11 a.m. and Hartwick at 3 p.m.