ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT (11-8) women's volleyball team won its fifth straight match with a 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-23, 25-14) win over SUNY Geneseo (10-8) Tuesday evening.

The Tigers hits .280 for the match, including .536 in set four. Katie Hobler (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) and Taylor Higgins (Peru, NY/Peru) each had a double-doubles for the Tigers. Hobler finished with 23 kills and 10 digs, while Taylor tallied 10 kills and added 11 digs. Joelle Marston (Roxbury, NJ/Roxbury) chipped in 11 kills, while Maria Simonetti (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) was one of five Tigers with double-digit digs, finishing with a team-high 20. Brianna Ellis (Wayne, PA/Radnor) handed out 44 assists.

Abby May and Alexandra Frank each had 11 kills for Geneseo, and Grace Thomas had 21 assists. Emily Bablin finished with 12 digs for the Knights who had their five-match winning streak snapped.

RIT led 5-1 early in the first set, taking a 9-4 lead on a Hobler kill. The Knights cut the RIT lead to 16-13 on a kill from May, but the Tigers outscored the Knights 9-3 to win 25-16.

Hobler led the Tigers with seven kills, hitting .500 for the set. Kiana Walker (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Comprehensive) and Maria Simonetti (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) each had four digs, while Brianna Ellis (Wayne, PA/Radnor) handed out nine assists.

The Tigers jumped out to a 4-1 lead early in the second set on a service ace from Taylor Higgins (Peru, NY/Peru). Geneseo came back to tie the set 18-18 on a service ace from Grace Thomas that capped off a four-point run by the Knights. Geneseo took a 21-19 lead on an attack error by the Tigers.

RIT answered with two straight points, tying the score at 21-21 on a kill from Hobler. She rattled off three straight kills to give the Tigers a 23-21 lead late in the set. The Knights ran off three straight points, taking a 24-23 lead on kill by Grace Cergol, and won the set on a May kill, 25-23.

RIT trailed 3-1 early in the third set, but rattled off four straight points, taking a 6-4 lead on two straight kills from Joelle Marston (Roxbury, NJ/Roxbury). The Tigers extended their lead to 8-5 on a Higgins kill off an assist from Simonetti.

Later in the set, the Tigers extended their lead to 18-12 on a Hobler service ace, and took a 20-13 lead on an attack error by the Knights. Geneseo battled back to within 24-22 on a kill from May that capped off a 4-0 run by the Knights, but a Hobler kill gave the Tigers a 25-23 win.

The Tigers controlled play in the fourth set, winning 25-14.

"We had great energy tonight," said RIT head coach Jim Lodes. "We started very well and then as Geneseo settled in we handled their push. This was a great match to assist us in our preparation  for our upcoming second Liberty League weekend."
 
RIT returns to action on Friday, Oct. 11, Liberty League rival Bard College. The match gets underway at 7 p.m.