ITHACA, N.Y. – After dropping the first two sets, the Vassar College women's volleyball team rallied to force a decisive frame against RIT in the Liberty League semifinals on Friday.  And that fifth set turned out to be a classic, featuring multiple match points for each team.  In the end, though, it was Tigers who came out on top, as second-seeded RIT (27-4) held on for a 25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 20-25, 21-19 victory over the third-seeded Brewers (15-10) at Ithaca's Ben Light Gymnasium.
 
There were just two tie scores and one lead change combined through four sets, but the fifth set provided enough drama for an entire match.  Neither side had an advantage of more than two points the entire set, and the score was knotted 13 different times.  After a pair of Jane McLeod (New York, NY) kills broke a 12-12 deadlock and gave Vassar two match points, RIT responded with three straight to earn a match point of its own, only to have McLeod smash a kill on the following point.
 
Kills by Devan Gallagher (San Francisco, CA) set up two more match points at 18-17 and 19-18, but the Tigers got a kill to tie it each time.  RIT's Katie Hobler then slammed two kills, her 27^th and 28^th of the match, to give her team the set, 21-19, and the 3-2 victory.
 
With their second five-set win over the Brewers this season, the Tigers moved into the Liberty League championship match for the first time since 2014.  RIT will face either No. 19 Ithaca, the top seed, or fourth-seeded Clarkson, the five-time defending champions, for the Liberty League's automatic NCAA Tournament bid on Saturday.
 
RIT scored the first three points of the match and held a 10-4 lead early in the opening set.  The Brewers cut the margin to three at 15-12, but the Tigers responded with four straight points to extend their cushion to 19-12.  A Hobler kill then closed out the frame, 25-18.
 
The Tigers carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to an 11-3 lead.  However, after a Taylor Higgins service ace made it 15-8 in favor of RIT, Gallagher smacked a kill to start an 8-2 Vassar run that brought the Brewers within one, 17-16.  RIT rattled off six of the next eight points, though, to push the margin back to five, 23-18, and the Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-20 set win.
 
It was Vassar that got out to the fast start in the fourth set.  The Brewers scored the first four points of the frame, with Lauren Ninkovich (Portland, OR) serving back-to-back aces during that span.  RIT rallied to tie it at 11-11 before a Ninkovich kill started a 7-2 run that put Vassar back in front by five, 18-13.  The Tigers again trimmed the margin to one at 19-18, but McLeod ripped a kill on the next point to spark a set-ending 6-2 spurt.  Another McLeod kill finished off the 25-20 Vassar win that extended the match.
 
In the fourth set, the Brewers again went on an early run to take control, as consecutive aces by Annie MacMillan (Colorado Springs, CO) made it 5-1 and forced an RIT timeout.  After the Tigers pulled within two at 12-10, Ninkovich roped a kill to start an 8-3 rally that extended Vassar's advantage to 20-13.  Jorden Schreeder (Saratoga, CA) was credited with a kill to bring the Brewers to set point at 24-17, and Vassar forced a decisive frame with its 25-20 set win.
 
Gallagher finished with 22 kills and 13 digs for her 18^th double-double the season.  McLeod also had a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs, while Sara Ehnstrom (Kapolei, HI) contributed 11 kills.  MacMillan handed out 51 assists to go along with her three aces, and Ninkovich registered seven kills, 14 digs, four blocks and three aces.  Anna Zucchero (Newton, MA), meanwhile, tallied a match-high 27 digs for the Brewers, who hit .211 (63 kills, 22 errors, 194 attempts) as a team.
 
Hobler had 26 digs to go along with her 28 kills.  She also hit .379 in the match.  Kelly Waters tallied 11 kills on .385 hitting, while Higgins contributed 10 kills and nine digs.  Erin Hobler finished with 55 assists and 16 digs, and Maria Simonetti recorded 13 digs.  Paige Daly added 10 digs for the Tigers, who outdug Vassar 93-85.  RIT's team hitting percentage was .270 (70-20-185).
 
Vassar must now sit and wait to see if will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.  The selections will be announced on Monday afternoon.