College Volleyball
Siena College 3, Rider University 1
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Match
LAWRENCEVILLE--The Rider University volleyball team won the opening set against Siena College before the Saints rallied to win three straight in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference match at Alumni Gym on Sunday. "We started really fast," said head coach Emily Ahlquist. "We played very well as a group and gained a lot of confidence."
Siena (4-11, 3-3 MAAC) won 17-25, 25-17, 25-19, 27-25 in a match that featured 18 ties and eight lead changes including 11 ties and six lead changes in the final set.
For Rider (1-14, 0-6 MAAC), senior Katelyn Thompson (Tucson, Ariz./Catalina Foothills) had a 'double-double' with 17 kills and 10 digs, accounting for 18.5 of Rider's 61 offensive points.
"Katelyn did very well," Ahlquist said. "After a rough match yesterday (at Iona), she came back with a vengeance."
Also for the Broncs, sophomore Stephanie Nagy (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) had 10 kills, six block assists and a block assist with senior Elyse Grassmuck (San Antonio, Texas/La Vernia) (15 digs) and sophomore Brittany Gajewski (Whitehouse Station/Hunterdon Central Regional) (13 digs) hit the double-digit mark in digs.
"Steph was a big presence in the middle," Ahlquist added. "Overall, the players took it upon themselves to work better together." Nagy hit .529 for the match.
Senior Amanda Piccolini (St. Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) had 37 assists for Rider.
The Broncs out-blocked Siena 11-6 and out-hit the Saints .155 to .088.
Siena had 17 service aces to six for Rider. "We were tracking the ball a little too long," Ahlquist said. "Siena does serve very tough."
The Saints defeated Rider 3-0 in Loudonville and 3-1 at Alumni Gym last season. The teams meet in Loudonville on October 23. Siena has won 17 of the 20 matches in the series against Rider with the last Bronc win in 2004.
Rider has lost 13 straight.
The Broncs travel to Poughkeepsie, New York to face Marist in a MAAC match on October 9. "We're on the road for both matches next weekend," Ahlquist said about the matches against the Red foxes and at Saint Peter's. "Marist is always a fun match and so is our matchup against the Peahens."
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