Friday, October 31, 2025 / Saturday, November 1, 2025
Rider Broncs (10-12, 8-4 MAAC) vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (10-10, 10-2 MAAC) / Canisius Golden Griffins (10-12, 8-4 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ
Time: 6 p.m. / 2 p.m.
Live Video – ESPN+ - Friday / Saturday
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
 
What You Need To Know
- Both of this weekend's matches will be available on ESPN+.
- The Broncs were selected third by the league's coaches in the MAAC Preseason Poll, including a first-place vote. Rider finished third in the regular season in 2024 before reaching the MAAC Tournament semifinals with a win over Merrimack. The Broncs ultimately fell in the semifinals to Quinnipiac.
- Rider is coming off a three-set win over Saint Peter's on Tuesday to move into a tie with Canisius for fourth-place in the MAAC standings at 8-4 in league matches. Fairfield currently leads the MAAC at 11-1 with Quinnipiac and Niagara tied for second at 10-2.
- Rider returns five starters from a season ago led by First-Team All-MAAC honoree Kiannisha Santiago (San Juan, PR/Hudson Catholic (NJ)). Santiago was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team by the league's coaches this season. The senior led the Broncs last season at 3.04 kills per set and 350 total kills. This season, Santiago is among the league's best, currently second in the conference at 3.91 kills per set. At Manhattan, Santiago recorded her 1,000^th career kill. The senior had 38 kills across the first conference weekend to earn MAAC Player of the Week honors. She leads all players in MAAC play, averaging 4.54 kills per set.
- Other returning starters include the middle hitter duo of Second-Team All-MAAC honoree Molly Rohde (Hortonville, WI/Hortonville) and Carley McAleavey (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West). Rohde led the Broncs and was second in the MAAC last season with 139 total blocks and McAleavey led the Broncs and was fourth in the conference with a .289 hitting percentage. Rohde is second in the MAAC this season, averaging 1.13 blocks per set, while McAleavey is currently third in the MAAC this season, hitting .351.
- Keegan O'Connor (Weatherford, TX/Weatherford) is reprising her role as starting libero. She led Rider and was sixth in the MAAC with 337 digs a season ago. She is sixth in the MAAC currently, averaging 3.54 digs per set. She recorded her 1,000^th career dig late in the fourth set at Siena. Early in MAAC play, O'Connor averaged 4.55 digs per set, including a season-high 21 in just three sets against Saint Peter's to earn MAAC Libero of the Week honors.
- Defensive Specialist Simone Langford (Hollywood, FL/Flanagan) also returns after finishing second on the team with 229 digs in 2024. She is fourth on the team this season with 110 digs and third on the squad with 19 aces.
- Key reserves returning for the Broncs include Makenna Mason, who has become the starting setter this season, after coming off the bench as the second setter in Rider's 6-2 offense last season. Outside hitters Brynn Johnson (River Falls, WI/River Falls) and Rylah Robinson (Fairfax, VA/Robinson) have both seen time in the starting lineup and have earned significant playing time this season. Mason is currently third in the MAAC, averaging 9.04 assists per set and recorded her 1,000^th-career assist Rutgers. Mason averaged 12.00 assists per set on the opening conference weekend while also recording a double-double against Marist to earn MAAC Setter of the Week honors. Later, Mason average 11.64 assists and had a pair of double-doubles to earn Setter of the Week honors for the second-straight week. She leads all players in MAAC play at 10.72 assists per set.
- Carly Allen (Buffalo, NY/Sacred Heart Academy) has been Rider's top freshman this season, currently fourth on the team in aces with 17 and fifth on the squad with 65 digs. Erynn Gotsch (DeLand, FL/DeLand) has been key for the Broncs since the start of conference play, sitting third on the team with 101 kills in league matches.
- Niagara leads the all-time series 25-22 over the Broncs with Canisius holding a 34-17 edge in the series history.
- The Broncs defeated Niagara in four sets in the first meeting with Mason leading the way for Rider, finishing with a 51 assist, 12 dig double-double. Santiago also added a monster double-double with 21 kills and 16 digs in the victory. Rider has now won six-straight over the Purple Eagles. In the first match this season, Niagara featured a balanced offensive attack in the first meeting with five players recording nine or more kills. Kinga Wronska had a double-double with 12 kills and 18 digs.
- Canisius topped the Broncs in a five-set match in Buffalo earlier this season. Santiago had 16 kills in the match and McAleavey added 13 kills on .500 hitting, but Madison Cowan's 19 kills and Bella Mosquera's four aces for Canisius proved too much for the Broncs. The last nine meetings between the programs have gone at least four sets with five of the nine requiring a set five.