LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University volleyball team fell at home to defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champion Fairfield, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon inside Alumni Gymnasium. The Stags rallied to defeat the Broncs by scores of 19-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-23 and 19-17.

Rider (5-4, 1-1 MAAC) dropped their sixth straight contest against Fairfield (3-8, 2-0 MAAC).

The Broncs got off to a quick start, winning the first two games. The Stags answered with pivotal wins in both the third and fourth frames. In the fifth set, Fairfield jumped out to a 14-11 edge, but the Broncs would rally to tie the match at 14-14 following a kill from sophomore Meredith Pellegrino (Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon).

Rider would then have three separate match points, but the Stags would answer every time. After another Pellegrino kill gave the hosts a 17-16 advantage, Fairfield would score the final three points of the match to escape with the win.  

Offensively, Pellegrino led the charge for the Broncs with a career-high 18 kills. Two other Rider players had double-digit kill totals as seniors Savannah Logan (Jupiter, FL/Benjamin) and Perry Williams (Portland, OR/Cleveland) chipped in 15 and 10 kills, respectively.

In the middle, freshman Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) continued her strong play with another double-double thanks to 51-assist, 16-dig performance.

On the defensive end, junior Rachelle Runyon (Aliso Viejo, CA/Aliso Niguel) was stellar once again for Rider with 20 digs. Sher, Logan and sophomore Danielle Blanco (El Paso, TX/Franklin) all had 16 digs each for Rider.

NOTES & QUOTES
"I don't think we played a real consistent match. There were glimpses of what we were able to do against Quinnipiac, but we had inconsistency from out attacking line. We made some adjustments and had some players step up." – Rider Head Coach Chris Feliciano

"In the fifth set, we had three match points and we just did not execute. There was some panic and hesitation on our side during those match points, but if this is what we're working with it's a good thing so early in the season." – Feliciano

- As a team, Rider had 72 points. The Broncs had 60 kills, 84 digs and six blocks.
- Rider had a .293 hitting percentage in the match, highlighted by 16 kills in the opening frame and a .444 hitting percentage in the third set.
- On Tuesday, Runyon was named the MAAC Libero of the Week and Sher was tabbed as the MAAC Co-Rookie of the Week.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Runyon had 20 or more digs for the second time this season and the third time in her career.
-  Sher had 50 or more assists for the second time in her career. It was her seventh straight match with 35 or more assists.
- Logan now leads the team with 110 kills. She also recorded her fourth double-double of the year.
- Hailey Riede had seven kills and Evelyn Shanefield added eight kills of her own.

UP NEXT
Rider returns to action next weekend, September 22 and 23, heading to Western New York for a pair of MAAC matches against Niagara and Canisius. The Broncs take on the Purple Eagles on Saturday before facing Canisius on Sunday afternoon.