NASHUA, NH – The RIT volleyball team (4-2) won a pair of matches on Friday evening at the Granite State Challenge hosted by Rivier College. RIT opened play by rallying to defeat host Rivier (2-4) in five sets and earned a four-set victory over Keene State University (4-3).
 
The opening contest against Rivier was a wild back and forth affair. The two teams traded wins by identical 25-21 scores in the first two sets before Rivier rallied from 23-19 down to take set three, 27-25. RIT came out with authority in the fourth set, jumping out to a 20-10 lead before eventually winning 25-18 to set up the fifth and decisive fifth set.
 
Rivier jumped out to an early 6-3 lead and led 12-9 in set five before RIT scored five straight points, including back-to-back kills by Kelly Waters (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) and Erin Parkinson (Carrollton, TX/W.T. White) to go up 14-12. Rivier's Jess Whyte slammed a kill to cut the RIT lead to 14-13, but an attack error on the next play would give RIT the big victory.
 
Freshman Katie Hobler (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy), who was named to the Scranton Invitational All-Tournament Team last weekend, was a force offensively for the Tigers against Rivier, leading the way with 18 kills to go along with a pair of blocks. Taylor Higgins (Peru, NY/Peru) had 16 digs, 12 kills and four service aces, while Waters hit .333 with 10 kills.
 
Parkinson recorded a match-high 47 assists to go along with 11 digs and four kills. Shelby Doheny (Moreau, NY/South Glens Falls) added seven kills and three blocks, while Maria Simonetti (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) led all players with 19 digs.
 
Sydney Racevicius led Rivier with 17 digs and 12 kills, while Hayley Macken had 37 assists and nine kills.
 
"I was proud of our effort," said RIT head coach Jim Lodes. "It can be tough to get in a five-set match after basically coming off the bus. We found a way to persevere and earn a good win."
 
Against Keene State, RIT jumped out to a 21-12 led in the opening set before the Owls scored 13 of the next 14 points to pick up a 25-22 win. Undaunted, RIT responded with wins in the next three sets by scores of 25-17, 25-14 and 25-12 to take the match.
 
The Tigers hit .268 in the match, including .459 in the fourth set. RIT had 70 points to 43 by Keene State and finished with 10 service aces.
 
Sara Taylor (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) hit .562 with 10 kills in just 16 attempts for the Tigers, while Doheny hit .500 with eight kills and four blocks. Parkinson added 44 assists and 15 digs, while Paige Daly (Allison Park, PA/Hampton) and Simonetti had 12 and 11 digs, respectively.
 
Higgins and Hobler recorded double-doubles for RIT. Higgins had 13 kills and 12 digs, while Hobler added 12 kills and 11 digs. Waters added nine kills.
 
Bailey Wilson led the Owls with 30 assists, while Olivia Mathieu and Megan Palmer had eight kills apiece.
 
"After letting a big lead slip away in set one, I really liked the way we responded," said Lodes. "Our defensive intensity and focus were closer to the level it needs to be to play at a successful level. I was proud of our response."
 
Freshman Kiana Walker (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) made her collegiate debut for the Tigers against Rivier.
 
RIT is right back in action on Saturday for day two of the Granite State Challenge, hosted by Keene State. RIT takes on Plymouth State University at 12 p.m. and Elmira College at 2 p.m.