Coming off a championship match appearance in the NYU Labor Day Invitational, the women’s volleyball team finished with a disappointing -3 loss in the Endicott Invitational over the weekend.

The Violets ended the first day of competition on Friday at an even -, succumbing to Roger Williams University -3 before redeeming itself against SUNY Canton 3-.

The team lost steam during the final two matches on Saturday, losing a tight game to Bowdoin College -3 before being blanked by the University of Massachusetts Boston 0-3.

In the first match on Friday, the team never caught their stride against Roger Williams after dropping the first set 25-15.

Sophomore MaTia Hughes led the team with 22 digs and junior Nicole Frias had 12 kills for the Violets.

The team rebounded successfully against SUNY Canton, beating the Kangaroos by a score of 3-.

Freshman Rayne Ellis and sophomore Gigi Morally had 12 kills apiece. Senior Katie Robinson registered 45 assists for the Violets.

Though the team fell to Bowdoin College 3- on Saturday, they showed the type of grit one can build on as the season progresses.

After falling behind two sets to zero, the Violets battled back before falling in the deciding fifth set by a score of 15-12. Freshman Zoe Prince led the Violets with 16 kills against Bowdoin.

The final match of the weekend against UMass Boston was not as kind to the team. While each of the games were close, the Violets dropped three to the Beacons. Hughes led the team with 11 digs and Robinson led with 16 assists.

Despite the -3 performance at the tournament, the players remain optimistic about their chances for the rest of the season.

“I think this weekend was a test of our abilities to gel as a team as we experimented with different lineups,” senior Vera Shulgina said. “It was good experience for players as we begin to fine-tune our play for conference weekends. I am very optimistic about our potential as a team for this season.”

Hughes echoed Shulgina’s sentiments, shedding light on the role that the freshmen had to play during the tournament.

“We are a young team and learned a lot from our losses this weekend,” she said. “However, a lot of new players got a chance to start and did really great things. Now, we are focused on getting back in the gym, working hard and improving.”

The Violets have three tournaments — the New Paltz Invitational, the Violet Classic and the Stevens Invitational — to prepare for before the start of University Athletic Association play on Oct. 4. Conference play carries additional weight if the Violets want to bring any silverware back to Coles Sports Center.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Sept. 8 print edition. Email Chris Marcotrigiano and Tony Chau at [email protected]