Women's Volleyball opens the season at the Virginia Wesleyan Invitational

(Norfolk, Va.) The Rivier University Women's Volleyball team began their 2015 season this afternoon as they participated in the Virginia Wesleyan University Invitational. The Raiders squared off against the hosts, Virignia Wesleyan before their contest against FDU-Fordham.

Game One: Virginia Wesleyan University 3, Rivier University 1 (Final)

Rivier dropped the opening game of the season to Virginia Wesleyan in four sets by scores of 22-25, 26-24, 24-26 and 25-18.

The Raiders (0-1) were led by junior Lauren Silverman (Chelmsford, Mass.) who had a team high 15 kills and a .433 hitting percentage. Classmate Dana Mott (Medway, Mass.) chipped in with 10 kills while fellow junior Molly McCormack (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) provided 8 kills and 13 digs. Senior Emily O'Reilly (San Francisco, Calif.) recorded 37 assists and 14 digs. Sophomore Bethany Trevino (Westminster, Colo.) collected 12 digs and six assists in the four set loss.

Game Two: FDU-Fordham 3, Rivier University 0 (Final)

The Raiders were defeated by FDU-Fordham in their second game of the Virginia Wesleyan Invitational by scores of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-13. The loss moves Rivier to 0-2 to begin the season while FDU-Fordham improves to 2-0.

McCormack was the standout in this one as she hammered down 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. O'Reilly and freshman Hayley Macken (Clifton Park, N.Y.) had 17 and 10 assists, respectively, while Trevino led the defensive effort with 18 digs. Sophomore Madison Soucy (Tolland, Conn.) added 10 digs and a service ace in the loss.

The Raiders will wrap up their season opening trip to Virginia tomorrow as they are set to face Randolph-Macon and Misericordia.