The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team opened the first day of the Carnegie Mellon University Mini Invitational with a 3-1 win against the Rochester Institute of Technology on Friday evening.

The Spartans improve to 16-8 on the season, while RIT falls to 19-12.

CWRU led by as many as two in the first set after a successful kill by sophomore setter Shannon Carroll for a 9-7 lead. After some back and forth play, the Tigers were able to tie the set at 16-16, and would go on to win the first 25-21.

In the second, the Spartans hit the ignition with a service ace by freshman outside hitter Karley King to give the Spartans a 5-3 lead. RIT came back and tied the game at 20-20, but CWRU answered with a kill from senior middle hitter Kayla Pfaff. The Spartans would end the second 25-23 with a service ace from freshman outside hitter Brianna Lemon.

The Spartans won both the third (25-17) and the fourth (25-19) to open the CMU Mini Invitational with a win.

Two Spartans finished with double-figure kills led by Lemon with 20. King added 10 kills to the attack. Carroll setup the CWRU offense with 24 assists, while freshman setter Faith Ellis contributed eight assists.

Defensively, sophomore libero Karina Bondelid posted a team-best 15 digs.

RIT was led by Sarah Szybist with 19 kills and Erin Parkinson with 42 assists.

The Spartans will continue play at the CMU Mini Invitational on Saturday with an 11:00 a.m. match-up against Messiah College and then a 1:00 p.m. contest against Elizabethtown College.