The Middlebury volleyball team opened Saturday's play with a tight 3-2 loss to St. John Fisher, but bounced back in the afternoon to sweep Rochester 3-0. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS VS. ST. JOHN FISHER

• Knotted at 11-11 in the opening set, kills by Ava Tuccio and Lauren Baxter gave the Panthers a two-point advantage.
• Middlebury continued to build its lead, winning seven out of the next eight to take the largest advantage of the opener at six (19-13). 
• St. John Fisher would get as close as three before a kill by Gabbie O'Toole and a Cardinal attack error clinched the first set 25-20.
• Level at 4-4 in the second frame, an 8-2 St. John Fisher run was finished by consecutive service aces from Isabella Mahar for a 12-6 advantage.
• The Panthers continued to claw their way back using a Tuccio kill to cut the Cardinal lead to one. 
• Fisher closed out the second with a 4-1 run to take the frame 25-19. 
• St. John Fisher pushed ahead 3-1 to open the third set before a kill by Devin McCormack and two service aces from Campbell Keller helped push Middlebury ahead, 6-3. 
• The stanza continued to be tight before a 12-5 spurt by the Panther, highlighted by two kills and a service ace by Molly Harrison, gave Middlebury a comfortable lead and a 25-17 decision.
• Lydia Fraser (three kills) and Emma Lawler (two kills) led the charge for the Cardinals in the fourth to help build a 10-4 lead.
• Middlebury responded with consecutive kills by McCormack, Lauren Baxter and O'Toole to obtain its first lead since the opening point (19-18). 
• Both sides traded points until consecutive aces by Reilly Morrow gave Fisher a 26-24 set win and sent the match to a decisive fifth.
• St. John Fisher grabbed 11 of the first 16 points in the fifth set. Middlebury inched its way back into the fifth with a Baxter kill and a Cardinal attack error, but St. John Fisher secured the win behind a cross-court kill by Noble for a final 15-11 result.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. ROCHESTER

• Tied at 15-15 in the opening set, the Panthers rattled off a 7-0 run for a 22-15 advantage, capped on a kill from Harrison. 
• The teams traded the ensuing points before a kill by Tuccio secured the frame 25-18.
• Holding a narrow 5-4 edge in the second set, Middlebury reeled off runs of 5-2 and 8-2, cruising to a 25-10 victory.
• In the third stanza, the Panthers quickly grabbed a 6-0 lead highlighted by a pair of service aces from O'Toole.
• The Yellowjackets slowly chipped away at the deficit, moving to within one (11-10) on a Middlebury attack error.
• The Panthers responded with a 6-1 run, including back-to-back kills by Baxter, for a six-point lead (17-11).
• Rochester cut the deficit to 20-16 on a kill from Caroline Hoag, but Middlebury pulled away and completed the sweep with the decisive point coming from Baxter for the 25-19 win.

NOTES

• Baxter netted a career-high 16 kills against the Cardinals.
• Harrison finished with a double-double in each match, combining for 24 kills and 28 digs. 
• O'Toole ended her day with 75 assists, including 47 against St. John Fisher, while adding six service aces.
• The Cardinals and Panthers played for just the second time and the first meeting since 2014 with each side winning once.
• Rochester and Middlebury met for the fourth match in the all-time series, as the Panthers earned their first victory. 

Middlebury returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Saint Michael's for a 7:00 p.m. contest.