Niagara Falls, NY – The Rider University volleyball team fell on the road to Niagara, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action. The Purple Eagles topped by the Broncs by scores of 21-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-27 and 15-9.

The back-and-forth contest saw Rider (12-11, 6-5 MAAC) take the first set and Niagara (12-7, 8-2 MAAC) rally to win the next two. After the Broncs forced a deciding fifth-set, the host Purple Eagles would hang on for the win.

Offensively, senior Jennifer Borio (Ridley Park, PA/Padua Academy) paced the Rider attack with 17 kills and a .326 attack percentage, while both juniors Savannah Logan (Jupiter, FL/Benjamin) and Perry Williams (Portland, OR/Cleveland) chipped in 14 kills apiece. Junior Hailey Riede (Haworth, NJ/Northern Valley-Demarest) was the other Bronc to record 10 or more kills as she had 11.

Senior setter Veronica Koval (Allentown, PA/Parkland) recorded her second straight double-double thanks to a 51-assist, 14-dig performance.

Defensively, senior tri-captain Emma Aldaya (Prospect Park, PA/Merion Mercy Academy) had a strong game for Rider with a team-high 24 digs, while freshman Danielle Blanco (El Paso, TX/Franklin) had a career-high 18 digs. Koval and sophomore Rachelle Runyon (Aliso Viejo, CA/Aliso Niguel) both contributed 14 digs apiece and freshman Brynn Sherbert (Temecula, CA/Great Oak) added 13 digs apiece for the Broncs. At the net, Evelyn Shanefield (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) had a team-leading six block assists.

Notes & Quotes
"We played a hell of a match today," Rider Head Coach Chris Feliciano said. "I'm very proud of how we balanced ourselves today on the road. We were just unlucky in a handful of moments that proppelled Niagara to the win. With that being said, we need to regroup and go hunting tomorrow for a critical win."

- Rider had 62 kills, 104 digs, 10 total blocks and two service aces.  
- The Broncs are 7-9 outside of Lawrenceville this year and 4-6 in true road games. The loss snapped a three-game road MAAC winning streak for the Broncs.  
- Niagara swept the season series against Broncs with the win.
- Veronica Koval was named the MAAC Player of the Week on Tuesday as announced by the league office. She earned the weekly accolade for the second time this fall. Koval is the only Bronc to receive weekly distinction from the league in the 2017 and she is one of just two players to be tabbed as player of the week more than once. In her final season with the team, she is the only setter within the conference to twice be honored as the MAAC Player of the Week.
- The 104 digs were a season-best for Rider as a team.      

Broncs by the Numbers
- Four Broncs had 10 or more kills.
- Five Rider players had 10 or more digs.
- Koval has had 25 or more assists in 20 matches this season, including 15 straight. The double-double was her 10th of the season. Six of those have come in MAAC play. She is the only Bronc with a double-double in 2017. It marked the second time she has registered 50 or more assists in a game this year.
- Riede has now reached double-digits in kills in a match 16 times this fall, including 15 matches in a row. She has a team-best 242 kills in 2017. In conference play, she is averaging 12 kills per match.
- Aldaya has recorded 10 or more digs in 16 matches this season, including eight times in MAAC play. It was her seventh match with 20 or more digs in 2017.
- Logan has registered 10 or more kills eight times in 2017, including three matches in a row.
- Blanco's performance was her eighth of the year with 10 or more digs.
- Borio had a season-high 17 kills. It was her fifth conference match with 10 or more kills.  

Up Next
The Broncs return to action on Sunday, October 22, with a road MAAC match versus Canisius that is slated to begin at 1:00 pm. Rider is looking for the season sweep of the Golden Griffins after topping Canisius earlier this season in Lawrenceville. The contest will feature both live stats and video. For links visit the women's volleyball schedule page on GoBroncs.com.