College Volleyball
Rider University 3, Niagara University 1
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Match

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y.—The Rider University volleyball team improved to 2-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 3-1 win on Saturday afternoon at Niagara.

Rider won 27-25, 25-15, 21-25, 25-23.

“This is a good win for us,” said head coach Christopher Feliciano.  “The setters set the tone and allowed us to have three players hit over .300.”

For Rider (7-7, 2-0 MAAC), sophomore Kaitlyn Griffin (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) had 16 kills with sophomore Ryan Ackermann Ashburn, Va. (Stone Bridge) and senior Jaclyn Webber (Anaheim, Calif./Canyon) adding 12 each.  Griffin had an attack percentage of .433 in the match and added three service aces.

For the setters, senior Ashlee Amatulli (Menifee, Calif./Temecula Valley) had 28 assists with junior Brandie Hill (Portland, Ore./Lincoln) adding 22 assists.

“Our setters made great decisions about 95 percent of the time,” Feliciano said.  “It has been a great experience watching them grow as a unit.  They put the attack in great hitting situations and ran the right people in the right spots.  Their execution really got us this win.”

Trailing 24-22, Rider rallied to take the opening set on back to back kills from freshman Jennifer Borio (Ridley Park, Pa./Padua Academy) and two kills by Webber with Griffin finishing the set with a kill.  Borio finished with nine kills in the match.

“I thought we came out a little flat in the opening set but the players stuck the game plan and that's what saved us,” Feliciano said.  “The second set was the best I've seen a Rider team execute in my four seasons as head coach.  In years past, if we lose that opening set, we don't win the match so it was important to rally and then hold on.  Kayla (Wong), Ashlee (Amatulli) and Jaclyn (Webber) all showed a tremendous maturation process in these pressure situations from when they were freshmen.”

Set two was all Rider with the Broncs winning 16 of the first 22 points to open up a 10-point lead.

After Niagara took set three by four points, Rider rebounded for a 25-23 win in the deciding set.  Trailing 23-22 Borio had two kills with Webber finishing out the match with a kill.

“The third set we kind of got a little ahead of ourselves and they (Niagara) took back the momentum and the fourth set, offensively we were ok but struggled blocking which produced the tight score that it did,” Feliciano added.

Freshman Emma Aldaya (Prospect Park, Pa./Merion Mercy Academy) had 12 digs for Rider with senior Kayla Wong Tustin, Calif. (Arnold O. Beckman) adding five blocks.

Rider and Niagara last met on October 27, 2013 at Niagara when the Broncs won 3-2 in a match that took just under two hours to complete and featured 17 ties and nine lead changes.

Rider and Niagara met on September 21, 2013 in Lawrenceville with the Broncs winning 3-0.  Niagara swept Rider in 2012, winning both conference matches 3-1.  Rider has won nine of 27 matches all-time against the Purple Eagles including the last three in a row.

The teams meet again in Lawrenceville on November 2 in Alumni Gymnasium.

This is the first time that Rider has opened conference play 2-0 since the league switched to the round robin, home and home, 18-match format.

The Broncs have won three straight matches, all by 3-1 scores.

Rider stays in Western, New York to face Canisius on Sunday.

“We have a game plan heading into Sunday,” Feliciano said.  “Canisius is well coached so they are going to be ready for us as well.  A win like today's is great, we are going to enjoy it and then when we get back to the hotel, we will watch some film and begin to prepare mentally for Sunday's match.”

-RU-