From University of Rochester Athletics
In battle with local rival Nazareth College, the University of Rochester volleyball team emerged with a strong 3-1 victory over the host Golden Flyers on Tuesday evening.
Rochester moves to 16-10 on the season while Nazareth falls to 19-10 for the 2017 campaign.
The host Golden Flyers were able to edge out a 25-23 win in the opening set, but UR followed with three straight wins, winning 25-19, 25-20 and 26-24 to close out the match in four games.
Sophomore Beth Ghyzel was excellent for the Yellowjackets, swatting a match high 13 kills, hitting .458 in the process, adding 14 assists, 11 digs and 2 aces. Alara Kocak added 11 kills while Clara Martinez had nine and Tamera Shaw had eight.
Renae Lapins had 33 assists and six digs while Lydia Barnard had 21 digs on the night. As a team, Rochester had 12 blocks, with Martinez and Shaw leading the way with six and five respectively.
Nazareth's Kelsey Milligan led the Golden Flyers with 12 kills, while Jessica Barry had 32 assists and Savannah Bothner added 17 digs. Naz added 10 service aces and was led by Celia Cordero who had five.
In the opening set, Rochester held an early lead and maintained it throughout the set, only to see Nazareth rally late, rattling off the final five points of the set to steal it 25-23.
The second set saw the teams draw even at 17-all, only to see the Yellowjackets run of a streak of seven straight points to earn set point, with Martinez recording two kills and a block in the run. Kate Korslund also helped UR to the big lead with a kill and a block during the stretch. Nazareth stopped the rally with two points in a row, but a Ghyzel kill finished off the set.
It was a set of runs in the third, with the Golden Flyers jumping out 4-0. Rochester rattled off seven straight, which followed by Nazareth pulling within one after scoring three of the next four points. The set score ballooned to 18-8 after UR then 10 of the next 11 points. Nazareth refused to go away though, scoring six straight to pull back to 18-14, eventually getting as close as 22-20 before the Yellowjackets finished off the set with a Martinez block and Kocak kill.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading points and the lead numerous times, with the 'Jackets winning out in the end with kills from Ghyzel and Martinez to break a 24-all tie and earn the match victory.