LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University volleyball team won three-straight sets to win its fourth-straight match, topping Siena in four sets in Alumni Gym Saturday afternoon. The Broncs improve to 6-8 overall and 4-1 in MAAC play with the victory, while the Saints fall to 2-14 overall and 2-3 in conference action.
 
The Saints got going midway through the first set, taking four-straight points to build a 15-9 lead. Siena did not look back, winning the opening set, 25-19.
 
The reigning MAAC Player of the Week, Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) showed why she is one of the conference's top players in the second set. Down 6-4, Romano served up an ace and added a pair of kills during a 4-0 run that gave the Broncs the lead. Later in the set, with the Broncs holding a 16-13 advantage, Romano served six-straight points, including a pair of aces as the Broncs cruised to a 25-15 victory.
 
The Saints appeared to be in control of the third set, jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Once again it was Romano that stepped to the service line and brought the Broncs back into the set. Romano served five-straight points, including another ace to bring the Broncs back to 10-7, then following a kill by Tori Schrader (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin) in the side out, Alicia Iafrate (Closter, NJ/Demarest) served seven-straight points as the Broncs went up 14-11. Tied 20-20, Schrader recorded back-to-back kills, giving Rider a lead it would not relinquish.
 
Trailing 3-1 in the fourth, Rider went on a 7-0 run, with three kills by Romano and a pair of blocks by Caprice Clarke (Toronto, Canada/Blythe Academy [Yorkville]) for the match's final lead change. Fittingly, it was a Romano kill, her 24^th of the match that was the final point in a 25-20 win.


QUOTES & NOTES
"It was a good conference win, Siena has been playing really well. The execution got better as the match went on. The ability to fight back after that first set was a testament to them fighting through it."
 
"It really started with our passers. They started getting the ball to Nini in the spaces that she needed to get it. That allowed our hitters to get back into rhythm."
 
"We spend so much time on serving in our gym. It's easy for me to call out a zone and know that we are going to put it in that zone." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
"Coming out and getting the win, we played together and had energy throughout the whole match."
 
"Just going back and hitting the zone that was called out. He knows where we need to hit the ball to get them out of system, and just going back and hitting that serve was something I was trying to focus on today."
 
"We had really good ups today from our back line. Pamela really had a great match today, then Nini was giving us really good balls to put away." – Junior Opposite Morgan Romano
 
- Rider cuts into what is now a 28-14 lead in the all-time series for Siena.
- Romano had her fourth double-double of the season, with a season-high 24 kills to go along with 13 digs.
- Romano set a career-high with six aces.
- Emma Notarfrancesco (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg Area Senior) tied a career-high with 11 digs.
- The Broncs' defense held reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week, Olga Sawinska, to just two kills and a -.105 hitting percentage.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .268 in the match to the Saints .139. Rider had 58 total kills, to just 34 for Siena.
- Rider had 65 total digs to just 36 for Siena
- In addition to Romano's 24 kills, Jillian Chan (Watchung, NJ/Watchung Hills) was in double figures with 13 and Clarke finished with seven.
- Ten Broncs recorded a dig in the match, led by 17 from Pamela Loh (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) and Romano's 13. Notarfrancesco was the final Bronc in double figures with her 11.
- Clarke led the Broncs with three blocks.
- In addition to Romano's six aces, Loh added a pair. Julia Slivka (Adamstown, MD/Tuscarora) recorded her first career ace in the match.

UP NEXT
Rider continues the home stand when the Broncs host Marist Sunday at 1 p.m.