Saturday, September 30, 2023/Sunday, October 1, 2023
Rider Broncs (3-9, 2-2 MAAC) vs. Siena Saints (1-13, 1-3 MAAC)/Marist Red Foxes (5-10, 3-1 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ / Alumni Gym
Time: 4 p.m./2 p.m.
Live Video –ESPN+ - Saturday/Sunday
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
 
What You Need To Know
- Both of this weekend's matches will be available on ESPN+.
- The Broncs were selected sixth by the league's coaches in the MAAC Preseason Poll, but were one of six teams to receive a first-place vote. Rider finished seventh in the regular season in 2022 before reaching the MAAC Tournament semifinals with wins over Manhattan and second-seeded Marist. The Broncs ultimately fell in the semifinals to eventual MAAC Champions Quinnipiac.
- Rider returns three starters from a season ago in senior outside hitters Tori Schrader (Grantville, PA/Lower Dauphin) and Jenna Amaro (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Archbishop McCarthy), and MAAC All-Rookie honoree, middle hitter Carley McAleavey (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West).
- Schrader led all active Broncs entering the season with 499 career kills, and her 2.63 kills per set would rank ninth in program history. Amaro has compiled 294 kills, 43 aces, and 366 digs in her first three seasons. McAleavey hit .301 as a freshman, totaling 181 kills and 55 blocks in 92 sets.
- The Broncs will have to fill the void left by the graduation of Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty), who was named to First-Team All-MAAC honors by the league last season. Romano became the first player in program history to earn four All-MAAC honors during her career.
- Key reserves returning for the Broncs include Kiannisha Santiago (San Juan, PR/Hudson Catholic (NJ)), who finished 2022 with 128 kills in just 59 sets, and defensive specialists Keegan O'Connor (Weatherford, TX/Weatherford) and Molly Strah (Akron, OH/Archbishop Hoban). The duo recorded 2.65 and 2.13 digs per set last season, respectively.
- O'Connor was the star for the Broncs at the Cavalier Classic, totaling 19 digs and five aces across a pair of matches to earn All-Tournament Team honors. O'Connor leads Rider this season, averaging 3.41 digs per set.
- Santiago leads the Broncs this season with 86 kills. She is also second on the squad with 21 blocks.
- Paige Giehtbrock (Clarkston, MI/Clarkston) earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Delaware Invitational, posting 23 kills, six digs, and a pair of aces across the two matches.
- Incoming freshman Molly Rohde (Hortonville, WI/Hortonville) has a team-high 27 blocks and is second on the team with 60 kills, and transfer-junior Ryley Frye (New Hope, MN/Robbinsdale Armstrong[UTEP]) has a team-high 230 assists to go along with 16 aces.
- Rider had won eight-straight matches over the Saints before Siena won the first meeting a season ago. The Broncs bounced back to earn the season split, but Siena still leads the all-time series 30-16.
- The Saints offense is led by Sara Wagner, who has 124 kills on the season. Peyton Hinkle and Emily Wood are each averaging over two digs per set.
- Marist took the first meeting with the Broncs this season less than two weeks ago. The Broncs were competitive in all three sets, but could not close any of them out.
- Jordan Newblatt had 16 kills and nine digs in the first meeting and Sasha van der Merwe had a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs.