PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Rider University volleyball closed out action at the 2018 La Salle Invitational on Saturday afternoon with a pair of matches inside Tom Gola Arena. The Broncs defeated in-state foe NJIT, 3-1, in the opener before dropping a late comeback against La Salle, 3-2.

In the opener, NJIT outlasted Rider in the first set, 32-30, and the Broncs responded by winning the next three games en route to their fourth straight victory. Rider won their frames by scores of 25-19, 25-23 and 25-9. Freshman Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) continued her strong play against the Highlanders with her third double-double in a row thanks to a 43-assist, 12-dig performance.

Offensively, senior Hailey Riede (Haworth, NJ/Northern Valley-Demarest) paced the Rider attack with 13 kills and a .414 attack percentage. Both of those marks were season-bests for the Preseason All-MAAC honoree. Classmate Savannah Logan (Jupiter, FL/Benjamin) was a factor once again at the net for the Broncs with 12 kills.

On the defensive end against NJIT, junior Rachelle Runyon (Aliso Viejo, CA/Aliso Niguel) was stellar once again for Rider with 18 digs. Sophomore Brynn Sherbert (Temecula, CA/Great Oak) chipped in a season-best 16 digs, while Logan also recorded her third double-double in a row thanks to a 10-dig performance.

In the finale, the Broncs dropped the first two sets by identical 25-16 scores before winning the next two 25-19 and 25-23, respectively. The Explorers made a late run in the fifth and final set to win 15-9 and take the match. 

On the offensive end against La Salle, Riede once again led Rider with 16 kills while Logan had 12 kills and 9 digs. Defensively, Runyon led the Broncs with 17 digs while Sher had 16 digs and 35 assists for another double-double. Freshman Caprice Clarke (Toronto, Canada/Blyth Academy (Yorkville)) contributed to six blocks.
  
NOTES & QUOTES
"There is no quit in this team. While I'm disappointed that we couldn't finish off the comeback, the ability to put ourselves in a position to steal a match is extremely important. Moving forward, we will focus on tightening up on the unforced errors and continuing to improve on a daily basis." – Rider Head Coach Chris Feliciano

"Rachelle and Nini [Sher] were outstanding all weekend and rightfully deserve the All-Tournament nod voted on by all of the coaches."  – Rider Head Coach Chris Feliciano

- Perry Williams (Portland, OR/Cleveland) contributed six kills and block assists against NJIT and five kills and two solo blocks against La Salle.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Sher, the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week, combined for 78 assists and 28 digs on the day.
- Delaney St. Pierre (Colorado Springs, CO/Coronado) led Rider with a .385 attacking percentage. She also contributed five kills and five assists against La Salle.

UP NEXT
Rider opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play next weekend, September 15-16, welcoming Quinnipiac and Fairfield to Alumni Gymnasium.