LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Rider University volleyball team needed five sets, but the Broncs topped Canisius 25-17, 19-25, 27-29, 25-21, 15-7. The Broncs improve to 12-13 overall and 10-4 in MAAC play. The Golden Griffins fall to 10-14 overall and 8-6 in league matches.
 
Down 4-3 in the first, Rider went on a 5-0 run led by a pair of kills from Kiannisha Santiago (San Juan, PR/Hudson Catholic (NJ)). Leading 9-6, the Broncs continued to pull away with a 4-0 run, including an ace from Tyler Adams (Wilmington, DE/Ursuline Academy). The Broncs maintained the lead and did not allow Canisius any closer than four for the remainder of the set.
 
Tied 6-6 in set two, Rider went on a 3-0 run during Adams' serve to take control of the set. But down 16-13, the Golden Griffins took the lead in the set with a 4-0 run, then after a Rider point, extended the run to 9-1 taking control of the set, and evening the match.
 
The Broncs appeared to take control of the match back in set three, jumping out to a 6-2 lead and slowly building the lead to as large as seven at 21-14. Down 24-19, the Golden Griffins got to work, fighting off five consecutive set points to tie the set 24-24. Canisius would fight off another set point at 25-24 and go ahead 26-25 before a kill from Rylah Robinson (Fairfax, VA/Robinson) and an ace by Carley McAleavey (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) gave Rider yet another set point at 27-26. The Golden Griffins would fight it off again and then compound that point into a 3-0 run to win the set and take a 2-1 lead.
 
Down 3-2 early in set four, Canisius took the lead in the set with a 4-0 run. Trailing 11-9, the Broncs got a pair of Robinson kills to bookend a 3-0 run that put Rider back in front 12-11. The set would go back and forth until trailing 21-20, Rider closed out the set with a 5-0 run, capped by back-to-back-to-back kills by Santiago to force a set five.
 
The deciding set was all Rider, Simone Langford (Hollywood, FL/Flanagan) had an ace as the Broncs opened up a quick 4-0 lead, then the Broncs extended the advantage to 8-1, capped by an ace from Keegan O'Connor (Weatherford, TX/Weatherford). Canisius closed to within four at 8-4, but a kill and an ace from Santiago during another 4-0 run stopped any thoughts of a Canisius come back.
 
QUOTES & NOTES
"The outsides struggled the last time, we played them so we needed a better output from them today and they stepped up. We rolled a few people in there with Rylah, Brynn and Erynn, but they performed and got us points. Kianny struggled there a bit in sets two and three, but really turned it around in sets four and five. Our block did a much better job too."
 
"The third set debacle, where we're up 24-19, obviously we have to be cleaner there. But in that back and forth fourth set, we found a way a way to get the lead late and hold it, and really jumped on them in the fifth. It wasn't anything tactical, it was more in the mind and putting ourselves in a mental position to get aggressive points." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
"Coach just hyped us up, and we got all the energy flowing on the court. The bench was super loud and the energy translated into our swings. There was definitely pressure, but we've had a big shift in our practices, making sure they were fast paced and if we let  a ball drop, making sure we got the next one. Defensively, I was just talking throughout, making sure I'm low and over and communicating with my pins." – Graduate Student Middle Hitter Carley McAleavey
 
- Rider earns the season split and trims the Canisius lead in the all-time series to 34-18.
- Saturday's match was the sixth in the last 10 meetings between the programs to require a fifth set.
- Santiago led all players with 17 kills to reach double digits for the 17^th time this season and 50^th time in her career.
- McAleavey added 11 kills, reaching double figures for the eighth time this season and 17^th time in her career.
- Makenna Mason (Hilton Head Island, SC/Hilton Head) had 50 assists for her 23^rd match this season and 69^th match in her career with double digits. She added 12 digs for her 11^th career double-double.
- O'Connor added 13 digs to secure double figures for the 22^nd time this season and 72^nd time in her career.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .237 in the match, while the Golden Griffins hit .138 as a team.
- Rider had 62 kills to 53 for Canisius.
- The Broncs had 57 digs to 56 for the Golden Griffins.
- Rider held edges of 15-11 in blocks and 10-7 in aces.
- McAleavey had a career-high nine blocks in the match.

UP NEXT
The Broncs are back in action Friday with a trip to Merrimack for a 6 p.m. match.