LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University volleyball team started slow Sunday afternoon before storming back to win three-straight sets to defeat Iona in four sets, 22-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-17.
 
The Gaels slowly built a first-set lead. But trailing 19-13 Jillian Chan (Watchung, NJ/Watchung Hills Regional) had four kills during a 6-0 run that tied the score at 19-19. The Gaels then scored four of the next five points to take control of the set.
 
Set two featured early 4-0 runs by both teams as neither side could take control. Down 19-15, the Broncs went on a run to tie the set at 19-19 once again. The Broncs would not go down again however, as down 22-21, The Broncs converted side out, then got an ace from Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) and back-to-back kills by Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) to close out the set.
 
After taking the second, the Broncs never looked back. Sher served the Broncs to a 4-0 lead on their way to a 12-3 advantage. Down 15-6, the Gaels scored four-straight to pull to within five, but the set would get no closer as the Broncs continued to pull away.
 
The fourth set played out much like the third with Emma Notarfranceco (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg Area Senior) and Pamela Loh (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) served the Broncs to a 13-2 lead that Iona could not recover from.

QUOTES & NOTES
"It was a sloppy second set, but we went on a run and flipped. The third and fourth set we got out early and it allowed us to settle down and do what we do."
 
"We talked about [our struggles on serves]. When we're on we get teams in a lot of trouble with our serves. We just had to go back and be a little bit smarter." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
"We needed to play more relaxed. Our serve receive really got better, and made it easier to run our offense. Nini was able to make better passes at that point, and she was able to start setting everyone." – Junior Opposite Morgan Romano
 
- Rider cuts into Iona's lead in the all-time series, which now stands at 28-16. The Broncs have won five-straight over the Gaels.
- Sher had a double-double with 46 assists and 18 digs.


BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .206 in the match to the Gaels .102. Rider had 59 total kills, to just 35 for Iona.
- Rider had 12 aces in the match, while Iona had four.
- Romano led the Broncs with 21 kills. Chan and Tori Schrader (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin) were also in double figures with 14 each.
- 10 players recorded a dig in the match, led by 19 from Loh and 18 by Sher. Notarfrancesco, Romano, and Molly Strah (Akron, OH/Archbishop Hoban) each had eight.
- The Broncs were lethal at the service line. Loh had four aces, Sher and Notarfrancesco each had three, and Romano had a pair.
- Caprice Clarke (Toronto, Canada/Blyth Academy[Yorkville]) led the Broncs with three blocks.

UP NEXT
Rider is at home for the final weekend of the regular season, starting on Saturday at noon against Canisius.