UR Volleyball opened their 2024 campaign by besting Albion College 3-2 before falling 3-1 to Denison at the Mt. Hope Invitational on Saturday.
UR scored 65 kills to Albion’s 37 in the five-set opening match. Sophomore Ashley Cook (#3) led UR with 16 kills and two aces in the first game, with fellow sophomore Myla Nover-Estes (#10) not far behind with 15 kills.
UR won the first set 25-15 before falling behind two sets to one when Albion outscored them 25-10 and 25-20 in the following sets.
UR struck back in the fourth set, scoring 19 kills and hitting .359 en route to a 25-19 set victory.
The Yellowjackets won the final set 15-6 with eight kills and hitting .253.
UR dropped the first set to Denison 25-20 before winning the second 25-23. A tightly-contested third set resulted in a 27-25 extra-points victory.
The Yellowjackets fell in the fourth set 25-18, ending the game.
Nover-Estes and junior Rylee Bergeron (#11) tied with 11 kills in the second match; Nover-Estes had two blocks while Bergeron added two aces. Cook was second in kills with eight.
Cook’s play earned her a spot on the eight-player All-Tournament Team.
UR will next play Ithaca, St. John Fisher, and Middlebury on Friday and Saturday during the Ithaca College Tournament.
