From University of Rochester Athletics
In an unofficial championship match from two tournaments earlier in the season, the University of Rochester volleyball team topped visiting Nazareth College 3-1 in non-league action on Wednesday evening at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
UR and Nazareth both went undefeated at the first two tournaments of the season, the SUNY Cortland Red Dragon Classic and the UR Invitational, with the Yellowjackets being named tournament champions at both locations. This match unofficially confirmed those titles, with the Yellowjackets (20-9) taking the match 25-16, 14-25, 25-20 and 29-27.
Offensively, Alara Kocak led the Yellowjackets with 17 kills on her senior night, along with four other Rochester seniors. Allie DeRubertis added 15 kills while Clara Martinez had nine.
Defensively, UR was stellar, with five players, DeRubertis, Kocak, Beth Ghyzel, Courtney Vidovich and Sara Apanaviciusall recording double-digit digs. Ghyzel added 35 assists and three of UR's four service aces. Kocak was strong at the net with four block assists and Martinez and Tamera Shaw each had three.
Nazareth was paced by Carmen Sapp who had eight kills. Delaney Martin and Kelsey Milligan each had six while Jessica Barry handed out 26 assists. Savannah Bothner gobbled up 30 digs, while three Golden Flyers (15-10) had multiple service aces, led by Celia Cordero with three.
In the first set, Rochester was able to break an 11-all tie with three straight points, coming on kills from DeRubertis and Ghyzel and a Nazareth attack error. After the Golden Flyers got two points back, Rochester then scored six of the next seven to pull ahead 20-14, cruising to a 25-16 win in the set. Kills by Martinez, Kocak and Kayla Sell highlighted the spurt.
Nazareth jumped out to an early lead in the second set, 8-2, leading to the big win. The Golden Flyers hit their best in the second set, smacking 12 kills with just two errors in 29 attempts (.345), compared to UR which hit just .086 (9-6-35) in set two.
Rochester used an early run in the third to build a 7-2 lead, highlighted by three Ghyzel aces in a span of four points. Nazareth got back into it, climbing within two points on multiple occasions, but a 5-0 run when up 16-14 but the Yellowjackets within striking distance of the set at 21-14. Nazareth battled back with four straight to pull back within 21-18, but the Yellowjackets finished off the set winning 25-20.
The fourth set was tight throughout. The Golden Flyers edged ahead 19-15 with a four point spurt thanks to a UR service error, two attack errors and a Nazareth ace. Kills by DeRubertis, Kocak and a solo block from Shaw pulled the Yellowjackets within 22-20. Nazareth then scored the next point on a block before the Yellowjackets tied it at 23-all thanks to two Kocak kills and a block from Shaw and Kocak.
DeRubertis kept the Yellowjackets alive with the Golden Flyers on set point, smacking a kill. UR then earned the next point on a Golden Flyer attack error, moving the score to 26-25. The teams traded four straight side outs to make the score 28-27 UR. The Yellowjackets then clinched the match with another block, this one from Ghyzel and Martinez.