HAMDEN, CT – The Rider University volleyball team captured the final two sets on their way to a MAAC victory over Quinnipiac on Sunday afternoon. The Broncs improved to 3-8 overall and evened their conference record at 1-1, while the Bobcats dropped to 2-9 overall and are also 1-1 in league play.
 
Trailing 23-20 in the opening set, Tori Schrader (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin) had back-to-back-to-back kills as part of a 4-0 run that gave Rider a lead. Down 27-26, the Broncs scored three straight to win the set.
 
The Bobcats came through with a 10-0 run midway through the second set, turning a 14-10 deficit into a 20-14 lead. Chloe Ka'Ahanui had four aces during the run.
 
In the third set, the Broncs used a 10-5 run midway through the set to take a 15-10 lead and held on for a 25-22 win.
 
In the fourth, Rider got runs of 5-0 and 6-0 in building a 21-9 lead. The Bobcats went on a 10-1 run to tighten the set to 23-19, but a Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) kill clinched the match.


QUOTES & NOTES
"Today was a gritty kind of win against a strong and resilient Quinnipiac team. They posed some different challenges than we faced yesterday and at times frustrated our offense and defense. A lot of credit to our players for finding a way to win this match."

"We had some great contributions from Tori and Romano, as well as Emma. Kerrigan got her hands on a lot of attacks and Nina came in and blocked very well."

"A road win against a good Quinnipiac team makes for a better bus ride back to Rider. We need to get rested and ready for a quick turnaround to play Iona on Tuesday."

"Anilee was great today, obviously running the offense, but blocking, defense, and her serve were good today too. She put a lot of pressure on their passers from the serve line. To top it off, she tied the school record for assists, which is just amazing. She continues to prove by her preparation, work ethic, and leadership why she's the best to play at Rider. Shout out to Veronica, who is great in her own right too, but definitely proud and humbled to see Nini have the success she has had." - Head Coach Jeff Rotondo

"I'm just extremely thankful to have been given the opportunity to run the offense the past four years with teammates that were willing to work with me and communicate with me about things they need from me. They have allowed me to grow in such a safe environment to help me get to where I am. It feels great to be a part of this program and get to keep pushing my limits every day. It's exciting to see every day what everyone's capable of, and as a setter it's fun to help push those limits for them." - Anilee Sher

- The Broncs take the lead in the all-time series 11-10.
- Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) had 42 assists, giving her 3,113 for her career and tying the senior with Veronica Koval '18 for the most in program history.
- Kerrigan Casper (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) tied a four-set program record with nine total blocks.
- Emma Notarfrancesco (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg Area Senior) had a career-high 11 digs.
- Schrader tied a career-high with 16 kills and set a career-high with eight digs.


BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .178 in the match to the Bobcats .173. Rider had 49 total kills, to 57 for Quinnipiac.
- Romano led the Broncs with 17 kills to go along with Schrader's 16. Jillian Chan (Watchung, NJ/Watchung Hills Regional) finished with five.
- Ten players recorded a dig in the match, led by Notarfrancesco's 11. Romano and Sher each recorded nine. Pamela Loh (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) and Schrader both finished with eight.
- Sher had multiple aces for the fourth time this season, leading the Broncs with three.
- Along with Casper's career-high nine blocks, Christina Blount (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East) recorded four in the victory.

UP NEXT
Rider concludes its season-opening road trip with a MAAC match at Iona on Tuesday. Match time is set for 7 p.m.