Women's College Volleyball

Rider University 3, Canisius College 1

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ—The Rider University women's volleyball team went above the .500 mark for the first time this season with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference win over Canisius Saturday.

“It was a blue collar win today,” said Rider head coach Chris Feliciano.  “We had to work really hard at it. Nothing came easy today. We played with guts and heart. It was a collective effort. A nice team win.”

Rider (12-11, 6-5 MAAC) won the first set 25-18, the third set 25-19 and the fourth set 25-21.

Canisius (5-14, 3-7 MAAC) won the second set 25-20.

Rider has now won four matches in a row and the Broncs are 6-2 in their last eight matches. “We take it one match at a time,” Feliciano said.  “We have a big focus this year to just improve every day. Focus on player development. It is rewarding to see our athletes getting better.”

For the Broncs, sophomore Hailey Riede (Haworth/Northern Valley-Demarest) had 12 kills with a .400 hitting percentage and three digs. “Her offensive numbers were really good,” Feliciano said, “as were Kaitlyn Griffin's.”

Senior Kaitlyn Griffin (Chesapeake, VA/Hickory) compiled eight kills, two digs, two service aces and two block assists.

Rider junior Veronica Koval (Allentown, PA/Parkland) had 37 assists, 12 digs and three service aces. Koval leads the MAAC in service aces and ranks third in the MAAC in assists.

Last year Rider defeated Canisius 3-1 in Lawrenceville and lost 3-1 in Buffalo.

Canisius leads the all-time series with Rider 25-8.

Rider hosts Niagara Sunday at 1pm. Niagara is 7-3 in MAAC play, including a win over Rider earlier this year.  “It is going to be a tough task,” Feliciano said.  “We have to play a better match tomorrow but if we are focused and engaged, we stand a good shot of being competitive and hopefully come out with a win.”

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