RADFORD, VA – The Rider University volleyball team capped action at the Radford Tournament with a pair of wins on Saturday. The Broncs swept Norfolk State, 3-0, in the opener before blanking the host Highlanders, 3-0, in the nightcap.
 
The triumph against Norfolk State marked the first win for Rider Head Coach Jeff Rotondo.
 
In the victory over Norfolk State, freshman Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) paced the Rider attack with 14 kills and a .522 hitting percentage. Junior Ali Ward (West Chester, PA/West Chester East) also chipped in eight kills.
 
In the middle in the first match of the day, Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) had 23 assists, six digs and a career-high six service aces.
 
In the finale, a balanced offensive attack led the Broncs past Radford. In the win over the Highlanders, four different Rider players had seven or more kills, highlighted by Romano and Ward each contributing nine kills apiece.
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"The staff could not be happier with our team's resiliency and grit today. We played a very clean match versus Norfolk State, staying low error and getting better at trusting the systems." – Rider Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
"It was great to see them follow that up with a spirited effort against a very good Radford squad. We got some clutch performances by the entire squad, and the team effort and chemistry was excellent. We need to take these team wins, continue to build trust in each other as a whole, and carry it into practices this week." – Rotondo
 
- Rider had 35 kills, a season-high 12 aces, seven blocks and 31 digs versus Norfolk State.
- The Broncs had 39 kills, seven aces, seven blocks and 36 digs against Radford.
- The day marked the first-ever matches for Rider against both Radford and Norfolk State.
 
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Ali Ward's nine kills in the second match of the day were a new career-high.
- Danielle Blanco tied a career-high with four service aces against Norfolk State.
- Rachelle Runyon had eight digs in the opener and 11 in the finale.
- Alicia Iafrate had 13 digs on the day. Six in the first match of the day and seven in the finale.
- Evelyn Shanefield and Anilee Sher was named to Radford Tournament All-Tournament Team.
 
UP NEXT
Rider finishes out the early-season tournament swing of its schedule next weekend, September 13-14, traveling to Maryland to take part in the Henson's Hawk Invitational hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore.