LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) had 41 kills on the day and Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) added 101 assists as the Rider University volleyball team split with Marist, winning the first match, 3-2, before falling in the second, 3-1.

In the opening match, the Broncs took the first set, 25-21, before the Red Foxes took the second and third, both by 25-22 margins. Rider responded convincingly with a 25-12 win in the fourth set, before taking the match with a 15-13 win in the fifth. Sher led the Broncs with 52 assists and 15 digs, while Romano had a match-high 20 kills.

In the second match, Marist took the first two sets, 25-19 and 25-20. The Broncs battled back with a 25-22 win in the third set. But the Red Foxes closed out the match with a 25-23 victory in the fourth. Romano had 21 kills for the match, while Sher distributed 49 assists.  

QUOTES & NOTES
"As a team, we obviously need to be better in certain phases and that is on me to get that corrected. Our ability to receive serve better and stay in-system will be critical moving forward from here. This will help out what we think can be a very effective offense, but we can not be scrambling like we were all day today. We also need to be more effective in our transition phase, as we were not very good in our block and defensive package as well. Credit to Marist as they played some very spirited sets today and definitely frustrated our blockers. On the good side, our attack phase was very good and showed how efficient we can be if we pass cleaner. I was also pleased with some of the younger players who got some time in both matches today. In typical fashion, Romano, Sher, and Ali Ward played well and complimented the others well." – Rider Head Coach Jeff Rotondo

- The Broncs and Red Foxes have now split in each of the last six regular-season series.
- MAAC programs are playing five doubleheaders each in the regular season before heading to Albany, NY, for MAAC Championships, April 1-3.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Romano finished the day with 41 kills and 14 digs.
- Sher had 101 assists and 21 digs.
- Ali Ward (West Chester, PA/West Chester East) contributed 21 kills.
- Morgan Koch (Bloomington, IL/Central Catholic) added 17 kills and a team-high eight blocks, including five solo.
- Freshman Tori Schrader (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin) chipped in with 18 kills.
- Danielle Blanco (El Paso, TX/Franklin) had a team-high 24 digs.

UP NEXT
Rider returns to action Friday, when it plays host to Canisius. The matches are scheduled for 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. (tentative – 2 ½ hours between the end of the first match and the beginning of the second, by MAAC rule).