The New York University women's volleyball team played its final two matches at the NY Region Challenge on Saturday, October 29. The Violets hosted the two-day event at the Hunter College Sportsplex in Manhattan.

NYU (15-14) faced Rochester Institute of Technology (21-17) in the first match and fell to the Tigers by scores of 25-20, 25-20, 18-25, 19-25, 15-8. The Violets played Buffalo State College (6-26) in the second match and won 25-17, 25-16, 25-18.

In the first match, the Violets led by two points early in the first set. The teams were tied 13-13 when RIT scored the next six points to secure the win. NYU led by five in the second set, 10-5, but again could not maintain the advantage. The Tigers used a 5-0 run to snap a 15-15 en route to the second-set victory.

NYU rebounded for wins in the next two sets. The Violets used a 3-0 run to break a 3-3 tie and took the lead for good in the third set. The advantage grew to a set-high eight points on three occasions. In the fourth set, NYU fell behind 7-1 but managed to catch up at 14-14. They broke the tie by scoring the next three points and never trailed again.

In the final set, NYU scored the first point but RIT took the next three and led the rest of the way. They notched the match-winning point on a kill by Sarah Szybist.  

In their second match, the Violets had little trouble with the Bengals. NYU led by as many as 11 points in the first set, 10 in the second set and eight in the final set.

"It was good to get back into the win column," said NYU Head Coach Jolie Ward. "The players have been working hard and were finally awarded for their efforts." 

FIRST-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:

- Rayne Ellis had a team-high 14 kills for NYU.

- Zel Fortson led the Violets with 25 assists. 

- Annie Singh and Paighton Miller each had two service aces.

- Grace Napolitano had a match-high 24 digs. Sabrina Krebs had 16 and Miller added 16.

SECOND-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:

- Singh led the team with 10 kills

- Fortson had a match-high 29 assists.

- Napolitano led all players with 18 digs. Singh added 11 for a double-double.

The Violets return to action next weekend when they compete at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship at Washington University in St. Louis on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5. NYU, the #7 seed, opens play against #2 Emory University on Friday at 10:00 am (Central).   

Final Records:
Stevens Institute of Technology (3-0)
University of Rochester (2-1)
Nazareth College (2-1)
Montclair State University (2-1)
Rochester Institute of Technology (1-2)
NYU (1-2)
Rowan University (1-2)
Buffalo State College (0-3)
 
All-Region Challenge Team:
Kelsey Milligan, Nazareth
Sarah Szybist – RIT
Alexandra Goldman – Rochester
Aimee Kohler – Rochester
Sydni Horner – Stevens
Carey King – Stevens
Most Outstanding Player – Mary Tobin, Stevens