FAIRFIELD, CT – After three tight sets on Saturday afternoon, the Rider University volleyball team dropped its first MAAC match of the season to Fairfield. The Broncs fall to 2-8 overall on the season, while the Stags evened their season record at 6-6.
 
Trailing 23-18 in the first set, Rider went on a 7-1 run behind the serves of Emma Notarfrancesco (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg Area Senior) and Pamela Loh (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) to take a 25-24 lead. The Stags fought back to take a 28-27 lead before Georgia Via served an ace to give Fairfield the first set win.


In set two, the Stags scored four-straight points midway through the set, extending their lead to 17-11 and never looking back, winning 25-20. The Broncs fought back early in the third, scoring four-straight on the serve of Tori Schrader (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin) to go up 9-7, but Fairfield would immediately answer with a 6-0 run and would never trail again. Down 23-17, Schrader again served four straight for Rider, but the Stags held strong and took the final set 25-22.

QUOTES & NOTES
"Our players and staff were definitely pleased with the effort and intensity today. Each set was a battle, and while there are phases we need to improve in, there was a lot of good to take away from the match as well."
 
"Some great effort today from our passers, who were locked in against a good serving team. Credit to Pam, Emma, Molly, Jill, Tori, and Romano, as they kept us in system all match. Nini was fantastic running the offense and making some great decisions." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
- The Stags extend their advantage in the all-time series to 37-5.
- Fairfield was the preseason MAAC favorite, earning six first-place votes from the league's coaches.
- Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) led the Broncs with 12 kills, her sixth time leading the Broncs in kills this season.
- Loh had 12 digs to pace Rider, the eighth time she has done that this season.


BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .136 in the match to the Stags .232. Rider had 34 total kills, to 48 for Fairfield.
- Rider had eight blocks to seven for the Stags.
- Five Broncs recorded a kill in the match. Along with Romano, Jillian Chan (Watchung, NJ/Watchung Hills Regional) had nine and Schrader had eight.
- Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) had 31 assists.
- Eight players recorded a dig in the match, led by Loh. Sher finished with seven, Notarfranceso added six, and Romano and Schrader each recorded five.
- Five Broncs recorded an ace in the match.
- Morgan Koch (Bloomington, IL/Central Catholic) led Rider with four blocks, with Romano and Kerrigan Casper (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) each adding three.

UP NEXT
Rider continues MAAC play on Sunday with a trip to Quinnipiac for a match at 1 p.m.