POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Cortland women's volleyball team opened the Vassar College Invitational with a pair of losses after falling to MIT in five sets and NYU in four sets. The Red Dragons, ranked 24th nationally in Div. III, are now 3-3 on the season. Cortland, ranked 24th nationally, will face Vassar at 11 a.m. and Stevens Institute at 1 p.m. to conclude the tournament Saturday.

MIT (5-0) won the opening two sets versus the Red Dragons, 25-23 and 25-22, but Cortland came back to win the next two sets, 25-20 and 25-21. The Engineers captured the fifth set, 15-7.

Senior Ava Hintz (East Aurora) led Cortland with 13 kills and added four blocks. Sophomore Kim Givelechian (Roslyn Heights/Herricks) totaled 11 kills, four blocks, nine digs and two aces.

Freshman Liz Roberts (Island Park/West Hempstead) recorded 34 assists and senior Krissy Silk (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) registered 23 digs. Freshman Melanie McGuirk (Lido Beach/Kellenberg) led the team with three aces and junior Mary Kelly (Guilderland) finished with a team-best five blocks.

Megan Gebhard led MIT with 17 blocks and Nicole Gagnier finished with 49 assists.

Cortland won the opening set against NYU, 25-20, but dropped the next three sets, 25-21, 25-10 and 25-17. Junior Kelly Knauerhase (Cortland) led the Red Dragons with a career-high 11 kills and Hintz finished with eight kills. Roberts tallied 26 assists, McGuirk served two aces and Silk led the squad with 15 digs. Kelly and senior Aubrey Barrett (Liverpool) each finished with four blocks.

Nicole Frias and Kacy Guajardo posted 10 kills apiece for the Violets (4-1). Katie Robinson had 35 assists and MaTia Hughes recorded 19 digs.