ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT Women's Volleyball team opens the 2024 campaign at the St. Vincent (Pa.) Bearcat Challenge this Friday and Saturday (Aug. 30-31). Here are six things you need to know about the Tigers heading into the season.
 
HERE WE GO
RIT is back following an 11-22 finish last fall, including a 3-5 Liberty League mark to earn its fifth-straight postseason berth. The sixth-seeded Tigers' season came to a close following a 3-2 setback to third-seeded Clarkson in the Liberty Leauge Tournament Quarterfinals.
 
VETERAN PRESENCE
Twentieth-year head coach Jim Lodes welcomes back four of the six players who appeared in all 33 matches last season, along with three others who played in at least 27 matches. Only two players – Grace Phelan (33 matches) and Emelia Mislan (28) – moved on after graduation.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Graduate student setter Sydney Neff returns for her final season with the squad. She landed her third-straight all-conference award with third-team recognition last fall after being named first-team the previous two seasons as well as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year in 2021. Playing every match as well as all 117 sets for the squad, Neff finished the regular season third in the Liberty League with 8.29 assists per set, ninth with 0.46 service aces per set and 12th with 2.75 digs per set.
 
BACK ON THE DEFENSE
Graduate student libero Hailey Blixt will also round out her RIT career this fall. Appearing in all 33 matches and 117 sets a season ago, she led the Tigers with 383 digs while finishing fifth in the Liberty League with 3.27 digs per set. Blixt has also averaged 0.54 service aces per set the last three seasons, including 0.76 in 2022 to lead the conference. She and Neff will also serve as captains for the second-consecutive season.
 
LEADERS AMONG US
Senior middle Catherine Vento is back after finishing sixth in the Liberty League with 0.85 blocks per set and seventh with a .278 attack percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Macie Jolliffe returns after leading RIT with 269 kills and finishing third with 240 digs while also finishing fifth in the conference with 0.50 service aces per set during her first season in Rochester. Senior outside hitter Samantha Cox was third for the Tigers with 173 kills while sophomore defensive specialist Jada Lee was fifth with 171 digs.
 
THE SCHEDULE
After four matches in Pennsylvania this weekend, the Tigers will host the six-team RIT Invitational next Friday and Saturday (Sept. 6-7) in Clark Gymnasium. RIT will then return to Pennsylvania for back-to-back tournaments at Allegheny (Sept. 13-14) and Grove City/Westminster (Sept. 20-21). Following a single match at Nazareth (Sept. 24), the Tigers will open Liberty League play at Skidmore (Sept. 27) before heading north to take on host St. Lawrence and Plattsburgh (Sept. 28). RIT opens October with three-straight home matches opposite Alfred State (Oct. 4), Bard (Oct. 11) and Union (Oct. 12) before playing Rochester and host Clarkson (Oct. 19). The Tigers will host William Smith (Oct. 23) before two matches against Keystone and host Lancaster Bible (Oct. 26), before wrapping up conference play at Ithaca (Nov. 1) and home with Vassar (Nov. 2). RIT closes the regular season hosting Oswego (Nov. 5), before traveling across town for matches at St. John Fisher (Nov. 8) and Brockport (Nov. 9). The six-team Liberty League Tournament is slated to start Nov. 12 with two quarterfinal matches followed by the semifinals (Nov. 15) and championship (Nov. 16).