Rider University Athletics

Hamden, CT – Senior tri-captain Emma Aldaya (Prospect Park, PA/Merion Mercy Academy ) became the program's all-time leader in digs as the Rider University volleyball team fell on the road in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action to Quinnipiac, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon. The Bobcats (4-13, 3-1 MAAC) topped the Broncs (6-9, 1-3 MAAC) by a score of 25-23, 25-14, 22-25 and 27-25.

The Broncs fought hard in the fourth set, reaching 20 points before the Bobcats, but the hosts rallied to score the four-set victory.

Freshman Meredith Pellegrino (Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon ) paced the Rider attack with a career-high 15 kills, while junior Hailey Riede (Haworth, NJ/Northern Valley-Demarest) chipped in 14 kills and classmate Perry Williams (Portland, OR/Cleveland) added seven kills of her own.

Senior Veronica Koval (Allentown, PA/Parkland) had another solid performance for the Broncs, dishing out 39 assists to go along with 11 digs.

Defensively, Aldaya set the new Rider record with her 1,831 career dig in the first set. It was her second dig of the game as she ended up with 19 on the day. Aldaya has her sights on becoming the first Bronc in program history to register 2,000 career digs. Also on the defensive end, Koval was the other Rider player with 10 or more digs. At the net, Williams, Riede and Evelyn Shanefield (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) all had seven block assists.    

Notes & Quotes
"I thought that the first and the fourth set could have gone either way," Rider Head Coach Chris Feliciano said. "We were more fluid today, but still couldn't overcome errors in critical moments."

- Rider had 47 kills, 15 total blocks, five service aces and 64 digs as a team.
- The Broncs are 1-5 in true road games this season and 3-8 in total outside of Lawrenceville.
- Rider has lost three straight league matches after winning its MAAC opener against Niagara last Saturday. All three matches have gone four sets.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Koval has had 25 or more assists in 12 of the team's 15 games. She also recorded her sixth double-double of the season, two of which have come in conference play.
- Aldaya now sits at 1,848 career digs.
- Pellegrino recorded 11 or more kills for the second time in her young career. Both instances have come in MAAC play. She also had a season-high seven digs against the Bobcats.
- Riede has now reached double-digits in kills in a match eight times this fall, including seven matches in a row. In conference play, she is averaging over 13 kills per match.

Up Next
The Broncs return to action on Wednesday, September 27, with a home MAAC match versus Iona at 7:00 pm inside Alumni Gymnasium. Last season, Rider swept the Gaels and the Broncs have won three of the last four meetings between the two. The contest will feature both live stats and video. For links visit the women's volleyball schedule page on GoBroncs.com.