SPRINGFIELD, Mass.-The Yellow Jacket volleyball split their opening weekend matches on Saturday at the Long Island Tournament in Old Westbury, N.Y. The 'Jackets opened with a 3-1 set win over Post University before dropping the second match to New York Institute of Technology.

Post University
The Post University Eagles made sure the 'Jackets did not take the east win. The first set was netted at 17 when a kill by Annie Boele gave the 'Jackets the lead. The momentum from her kill started a 7-3 run to give the 'Jackets the first set, 25-20.

In the second set the Eagles used a five-point run to propel them to a 19-13. The 'Jackets didn't let the run get them down as they closed Eagles lead to three before the Eagles took the set 25-20.

With the match ties at one the 'Jackets kicked things into gear and limited their errors in a set that could of gone either way. Senior Catlin Sobolewski and freshman Jana Potic blocked the Eagle hitter to gain the 10-9 lead which they would not relinquish. The 'Jackets swung .290 in the set with 12 kills and three errors in 31 attempts.

With the taste of the first of the victory in reach the 'Jackets continued to swing well and limit their errors. The Eagles came out hot with a 7-2 run before Head Coach Matt Cribbin called a timeout to stop the run. With the Eagles up 10-3 Diva Rivas woke the 'Jackets up with a kill to start an 8-2 run and cut their deficit to two. An 11-6 run ended the match 25-23 and gave the 'Jackets their third consecutive season opener win.

New York Institute of Technology
The Bears of NYIT, who is coming off an Elite 8 run, were a tough match up for the 'Jackets. It was in the first set when the Bears used their Elite 8 experience to go on a 6-0 run and take the lead at 23-18 before finishing the set with a kill 25-21.

The second set would be a much better set swinging for the 'Jackets as they improved by .129 and cut their errors down four. Unfortunately for the 'Jackets the Bears hit .364 but the 'Jackets were able to force four errors to help keep them in the game. The Bears took the second set by a score of 25-21.

Knowing they had to turn things around to keep the match going the 'Jackets kept the game tight as the game was tied at 22 following a 4-0 'Jackets run. The Bears narrowed their focused and took the match in the third set by a score of 26-24.

The 'Jackets return to the court Saturday morning at 10 a.m. against Queens College followed by a match with Chestnut Hill College at noon.