LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University volleyball team fell at home to visiting Canisius, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action inside Alumni Gymnasium. The Griffs topped the Broncs by scores of 25-17, 25-8 and 25-16.

The Broncs (8-9, 4-5 MAAC) dropped their second match in a row, while the Golden Griffins (9-9, 7-2 MAAC) won their fourth consecutive match.

After falling behind 2-0 quickly, Rider showed some fight in the third frame. The Broncs and Griffs went back-and-forth early on in the game before the guests pulled away to earn the victory.

Leading the charge offensively for Rider was senior Savannah Logan (Jupiter, FL/Benjamin) with a team-high six kills off the bench. Classmate Hailey Riede (Haworth, NJ/Northern Valley-Demarest) chipped in five kills, four which came in the third set. Senior Perry Williams (Portland, OR/Cleveland) and sophomore Meredith Pellegrino (Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon) each contributed four kills apiece for the Broncs.

In the middle, freshman setter Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) continued her steady play with her another double-double. She had 21 assists and recorded 10 digs. Sher also had one kill and one block assist for Rider.

On the defensive end, junior libero Rachelle Runyon (Aliso Viejo, CA/Aliso Niguel) continued her strong play with 10 digs. Sophomore Danielle Blanco (El Paso, TX/Franklin) contributed six digs on the backline for the Broncs, while Logan had five of her own.   

NOTES & QUOTES
"I challenged the team during the five-minute intermission leading into the third game that we needed to compete and it's all I wanted them to do. We came out and had a little momentum, but we were hit by the unforced-error bug. We hit a lot more balls into the net or out than they blocked. We have to execute at a higher level. I'm pleased we had a higher energy in the third set, but we need that energy from the first whistle." – Rider Head Coach Chris Feliciano

- Rider had 25 kills, 24 assists, five total block and 37 digs.
- The Broncs committed 21 attack errors, six receiving errors and one service error.
- Canisius completed the regular-season sweep of Rider with the win.
- The loss was the first of the season for the Broncs on a Saturday in conference action.  

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Runyon had 10 or more digs for the 15th straight match.   
- Sher's double-double was her team-leading 11th of the season and her seventh in a row.
- Logan has set a new career-high in digs this season with 146. She also leads the team in kills in 2018 with 164.  

UP NEXT
Rider closes out a busy weekend of MAAC play on Sunday, October 14, with a home conference showdown against Niagara that is slated to begin at 1:00 pm. The Broncs are looking to complete the season sweep of the Purple Eagles after topping NU, 3-0, in Western New York earlier this fall.