LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ– The Rider University volleyball team picked up a key victory for their playoff chances in a three set match, 25-23, 25-22, 25-15 Sunday night in Alumni Gym over Iona. The Broncs improve to 8-15 overall and 7-7 in MAAC play, while the Gaels fall to 12-14 on the season and 8-7 against league opponents.
 
Down 18-17 in set one, the Broncs scored four-straight points, including an ace by Molly Rohde (Hortonville, WI/Hortonville). The run included the tenth and final tie of the set as the Broncs maintained the lead, taking the set with a slim two-point margin.
 
The second set was just as tight, featuring 11 ties and six lead changes. Down 12-10, Carley McAleavey (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) and Kiannisha Santiago (San Juan, PR/Hudson Catholic (NJ)) had a pair of combo blocks during a 4-0 run. Iona would take back the lead with a 4-0 run of their own that made the set 18-15. Trailing 22-19, Jenna Amaro (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Archbishop McCarthy) took over with three kills and a block as the Broncs scored six-straight points to win the set.
 
Rider dominated set three, never trailing in the deciding set. The Broncs opened the set on a 5-1 run, then leading 5-4, Rider scored eight-straight points, including a kill and two blocks by Rohde. Later up 18-12, Rider continued to pull away with a 4-0 run during the serve of Molly Strah (Akron, OH/Archbishop Hoban).

QUOTES & NOTES
"We have to understand that with pressure it's either going to expose us or we are going to rise to it. We can't afford many more losses, and we had to have a little more conviction in our abilities to play at a high level."
 
"[Winning long rallies] does elevate you and deflate the other side a little bit. They were talking about how we have to find a way to win long rallies, so they knew going in and it was good to see us win a couple of them." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
"We knew that we needed to have a better performance than yesterday. We really picked it up on every level. I think we can always be better, but we did play really well today as a team." – Senior Defensive Specialist Molly Strah
 
- The Broncs earn a split of the season series and the Iona lead in the all-time series is now 30-19.
- For the 11th time this season, Makenna Mason (Hilton Head Island, SC/Hilton Head) and Ryley Frye (New Hope, MN/Robbinsdale Armstrong[UTEP]) reached double digit assists in the same match with 14 and 11 respectively.
- Frye completed her sixth double-double of the season with 11 digs.
- Strah led the Broncs with 16 digs, her sixth match in double figures this season.
- Keegan O'Connor (Weatherford, TX/Weatherford) finished with 15 digs, reaching double digits for the 15^th time this season.
- Amaro led Rider with 10 kills, her fifth match in double figures this season.
 
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .186 in the match, while the Gaels hit just .090.
- Rider had 38 kills in the match to 35 for Iona.
- Rider had a 65-57 edge in digs.
- The Broncs had a 6-1 advantage in aces.
- In addition to Amaro's 10, Santiago had eight kills. Rohde and Tori Schrader (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin) each added six.

UP NEXT
The Broncs hit the road for a pair of matches next weekend beginning with a match against Canisius on Saturday beginning at noon.