JERSEY CITY, NJ – The Rider University volleyball team was dominant Saturday night, topping Saint Peter's in straight sets. The Broncs improved to 12-10 overall and 9-3 in the MAAC, while the Peacocks fall to 1-22 overall and 0-11 in league play.
 
The Broncs took control of the first set early, scoring seven-straight points on the serve of Molly Strah (Akron, OH/Archbishop Hoban), building an 8-1 lead. A 4-1 run late in the set brought the Peacocks back to 21-17, but Emma Notarfrancesco (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg Area Senior) Served four-straight points for the Broncs, capped by a combo block from Caprice Clarke (Toronto, Canada/Blyth Academy [Yorkville]) and Anilee Sher (Pughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill).
 
The Peacocks fought back in the second, using a quick 7-0 run to build a 9-3 advantage. Jenna Amaro (Davie, FL/Archbishop McCarthy) immediately answered for Rider with four straight points coming on her serve. A 5-0 run for Rider on the serve of Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) gave the Broncs a 16-15 lead. Tied 24-24, the Broncs got a kill, followed by an ace, from Romano to take the set.
 
The Broncs slowly pulled away in the third. The Broncs did not have a run of over three points while building a lead of 12-10. At that point a 4-0 run, including a pair of kills by Romano, and a later 3-0 run that included an ace by Romano combined to give the Broncs a lead as large as 11.

QUOTES & NOTES
"Happy to get out of Saint Peter's with a three-set victory. They have been playing well and really causing some problems for teams. They did the same in set two when we didn't play the right way. We were able to find our groove again in set three and get our offense back in sync."

"The defense was great tonight, giving us a lot of opportunities to convert digs to kills.Tori and Morgan were very strong tonight, but we're going to need more consistency across the board offensively." - Head Coach Jeff Rotondo

- Rider extends its advantage in the all-time series to 35-21. The Broncs have won five straight and 23 of 24 against the Peacocks.
- Romano recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 10 digs.
- Romano reached double-digit kills for the 17^th time this season.
- Pamela Loh (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) had her 19^th match with double-digit digs, finishing with 18.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .234 in the match to the Peacocks .076. Rider had 44 total kills, to just 25 for Saint Peter's.
- Rider had 65 kills to 39 for the Peacocks
- In addition to Romano's 15 kills, Tori Schrader (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin) added 13 and Clarke had six.
- Eight players recorded a dig in the match, led by Loh's 18 and Romano's 10. Sher, Strah, and Amaro each had nine.
- Clarke had four blocks to lead the Broncs in the match.

UP NEXT
Rider remains on the road for the final away weekend of the season when the Broncs visit Marist next Saturday at 1 p.m.