Womem's Volleyball defeats Pitt-Greensburg, 3-1; falls to Westminster, 3-1 in Pennsylvania

LATROBE, Pa. – The RIT Women's Volleyball team split two matches on the second day of the St. Vincent Bearcat Invitational, Saturday, defeating Pitt-Greensburgh, 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 14-25, 25-15) before falling to Westminster, 3-1 (25-15, 27-25, 27-29, 25-20) for its first loss of the season.

Graduate student setter Sydney Neff was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 10.3 assists and 2.94 digs per set over the two-day event.
 
RIT 3, PITT-GREENSBURG 1 (25-19, 25-21, 14-25, 25-15)

• Senior outside hitter Samantha Cox totaled a team-high 18 kills on .333 attacking, while sophomore outside hitter Mia Gerber added 10 kills and 15 digs. Neff compiled 37 assists and a team-high 18 digs.
• RIT started the first set with a 7-2 lead, but Pitt-Greensburg responded with five-straight points to pull within two.
• The Tigers put together a 7-3 surge to take a 14-8 lead and later led, 18-10, following a 4-0 run keyed by three Cox kills.
• The Panthers got as close as four on four occasions, including 21-17, but the Tigers scored four of the final six points to earn the opening win.
• Neither team led by more than two during a back-and-forth second set that saw eight lead changes and 10 ties. Knotted, 15-15, RIT used a 4-1 run to build a 19-16 lead, and later scored three-consecutive points for a 24-19 lead en route to the victory.
• Pitt-Greensburg bounced back in the third, opening a 16-3 lead capped by an 11-0 run. The Tigers pulled back within seven, 19-12, with a 9-3 run, but the Panthers scored six of the final eight points to close the set.
• RIT took control of the fourth with an early 9-2 lead and later used a 6-1 surge to build a 20-10 lead that proved insurmountable. 

WESTMINSTER 3, RIT 1 (25-15, 27-25, 27-29, 25-20) 

• Cox led the way with 16 kills while senior outside hitter Catherine Vento totaled 13 kills on .565 attacking. Graduate student libero Hailey Blixt added 26 digs while Neff compiled 39 assists.
• Westminster opened a 10-4 first-set lead, before back-to-back Vento kills pulled the Tigers within four, 10-6. RIT got within three four times, including 15-12, but the Titans scored five-straight points to start a 9-2 run to put the set out of reach.
• The Tigers fell behind, 9-6, in the second before riding a 4-0 surge to a 10-9 lead. Westminster responded with an 8-1 run for a 17-11 lead, but RIT pulled back within three, 19-16, with a 5-2 run. The Titans had six opportunities at set point, but the Tigers scored six-unanswered points to take a 25-24 lead. Westminster stopped the run with three unanswered points to take the second.
• RIT opened an 11-6 lead in the third, before Westminster bounced back with a 7-1 run for a 13-12 edge. The Tigers answered with a 5-2 run for a 17-15 lead and pulled away for a 21-18 edge, but Westminster tied the score with three-straight points. Both teams had swings to take the set before RIT finally broke a 27-27 tie with back-to-back points, finished by a Gerber service ace.
• Westminster led, 8-4, in the fourth, before the Tigers won five of the next six points to knot the score, 9-9. RIT later led, 12-11, but the Titans put together a 5-1 run for a 16-13 edge. The Tigers got within one twice, including 17-16, but Westminster pulled away down the stretch, scoring the final three points of the set to hold off the Tigers. 

WHAT'S NEXT
RIT hosts the six-team RIT Invitational next Friday and Saturday (Sept. 6-7), starting with a match opposite Buffalo State on Friday at 4:30 p.m.