Potsdam, NY – For 14 straight points the Clarkson University Volleyball team and RIT traded points down the stretch in the third set, but RIT knocked off three straight to win that pivotal game and went on to beat the Golden Knights in four sets 22-25, 25-17, 32-30, 25-21 in Liberty League action Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights fell to 7-5 overall and 0-1 in conference games while RIT improved to 9-2 and 1-0 in league contests. Clarkson travels to face 16th-ranked Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon.

In the first set, neither team could get much of a foothold against the other as the teams went back and forth from early on all the way to 20-20. Clarkson picked up two straight kills from Delaney Harrison to take the lead (21-20) the teams were again tied at 22-22 after a setting error by the Knights. Rachel Reusch then delivered a kill and a block assist to put the Green and Gold up by two, and Kendall Cheval finished off the set with a kill to put Clarkson up 1-0.

Set number two was RIT's from the start, as the Tigers gained an early five-point advantage and quickly pushed their lead to double figures (21-9). Clarkson chipped away to make the score more respectable thanks to two kills from Meghan Edmund and an ace by Savannah Peters (23-17), but a kill by Taylor Higgins and an attack error put the set away for the Tigers.

The third set was a raucous affair from the beginning, with the teams trading mini-runs and momentum swings. RIT led by four late (19-15), but Clarkson received several blocks to get back into the set. Down by two, 23-21, Clarkson picked up a kill from Cheval, scored another on an attack error and then pushed things to set point with a solo block by Reusch, but Clarkson's momentum stalled at that point. The two teams that went back and forth with Clarkson gaining six set points, but the Knights couldn't put the game away. Two hitting errors by the Knights and an ace by the Tigers on their first set point gave RIT a key third-set win.

Set four saw RIT take an early, modest advantage, but Clarkson always had an answer and kept things close up to the midway point. Consecutive aces by Erin Parkinson put the Tigers up 19-15 and a kill by Shelby Doheny made it 23-17. However, Rachel Reusch scored a block assist along with Savannah Peters and then scored two straight kills to get the Knights back with two at 23-21. It wasn't enough, though as the Tigers finished the set and match on an attack error by Clarkson and a kill by Taylor Higgins.

After recording no digs in the first 16 points of the match, Kate Isaksen notched 10 in the first set and finished with 27 total to lead Clarkson's defensive effort. Grace Mayer and Kendall Cheval also had 15 digs while Rachel Reusch led the offense with 13 kills and seven total blocks. Haley Aud and Amanda Collins split setting duties, producing 17 and 16 assists, respectively.

Katie Hobler picked up a double-double on 17 kills and 20 digs and Taylor Higgins did the same with 14 kills and 11 digs. Erin Parkinson had 52 assists and 15 digs and Maria Simonetti added 24 digs.