Lawrenceville, NJ – The Rider University volleyball team dropped a five-set heartbreaker, 3-2, to visiting Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action inside Alumni Gymnasium. The Bobcats swept the regular-season series with the Broncs thanks to rallying for a victory by scores of 25-19, 16-25, 21-25, 25-18 and 15-8.

Rider (14-13, 8-7 MAAC) bounced back after dropping the first to take the next two before Quinnipiac (8-20, 7-8 MAAC) took the final two sets.

Offensively, juniors Savannah Logan (Jupiterl, FL/Benjamin) and Hailey Riede (Haworth, NJ/Northern Valley-Demarest) paced the Rider attack with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Classmate Perry Williams (Portland, OR/Cleveland) chipped in 10 kills and a .320 hitting percentage, while sophomore middle blocker Evelyn Shanefield (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) chipped in nine kills.
Senior setter Veronica Koval (Allentown, PA/Parkland) was solid on both sides of the ball for the guests as she continued to fill out the stat sheet. Koval had 50 assists and six digs.  

Defensively, senior tri-captain Emma Aldaya (Prospect Park, PA/Merion Mercy Academy) played well with 16 digs. Freshmen Brynn Sherbert (Temecula, CA/Great Oak) and Danielle Blanco (El Paso, TX/Franklin) both recorded eight digs apiece for the Broncs.

At the net, Shanefield and Williams combined for three solo blocks and seven block assists.

Notes & Quotes
"We found it within ourselves to play volleyball like we have been in previous weeks in the second and third sets, but we couldn't sustain it," Rider Head Coach Chris Feliciano said. "Quinnipiac came in here with their backs against the wall needing to win matches to get in the tournament, but so do we. We need to find a way to get back on the winning side of the ball."

"When we pass well we have good middles who are athletic," Feliciano added. "At the same token, in the fourth set we had zero blocks and we were late on the press. When we were playing we were executing at a high level and now we've gotten in this comfort zone. It's really up and down. We need to figure it out and put it back together."

- Rider had 55 kills, eight service aces, 59 digs and 10 total blocks.
- Rider took advantage of 2 Quinnipiac attack errors.
- The Broncs are 5-3 at home and 7-3 in the Garden State this season.
- It was Rider's sixth match with 10 or more blocks in 2017.  

Broncs by the Numbers
- Koval has had 25 or more assists in 24 matches this season, including 19 straight. It marked the fourth match in a row that she has recorded 30 or more assists. Koval is now second in program history with 2,929 career assists. It marked her fourth match with 50 or more kills.  
- Riede has now reached double-digits in kills in a match 20 times this fall, including 19 matches in a row. She has a team-best 308 kills in 2017. In conference play, she is averaging 13 kills per match. She is now ninth all-time in Rider history with 927 career kills.
- Aldaya has recorded 10 or more digs in 20 matches this season, including 11 times in MAAC play.
- The double-double was the 11 of the year for Koval. She is the only Bronc to record a double-double in 2017.

Up Next
The Broncs close out a busy weekend of home MAAC play on Sunday, November 5, with match versus Fairfield that is slated to begin at 12:00 pm. Rider is looking to avenge an early-season setback against the Stags in Connecticut. The contest will feature both live stats and video. For links visit the women's volleyball schedule page on GoBroncs.com.