LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Rider University volleyball team earned a victory in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament Tuesday night, defeating sixth-seeded Siena in straight sets, 25-20, 25-15, 25-18. The Broncs improve to 15-15 overall, while the Saints drop to 14-19 overall.
 
Down 3-2 in the opening set, the Broncs went on a 5-1 run, led by a kill, assist, and ace from Kiannisha Santiago (San Juan, PR/Hudson Catholic (NJ)). Every time the Broncs seemed poised to pull away, the Saints had an answer, but the Broncs were able to maintain the lead. At 15-14, the Broncs scored three-straight points, with a kill and a block from Carley McAleavey (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West). Once again the Saints would respond, getting back to within one at 20-19, but the Broncs closed out the set on a 5-1 run, capped by back-to-back kills from Santiago to take the early advantage.
 
Leading 8-7 in set two, the Broncs made their move, going on a 6-0 run with a pair of kills by Brynn Johnson (River Falls, WI/River Falls). Later leading 16-10, Rider extended the advantage with a 7-2 run, started by back-to-back blocks by McAleavey and the Broncs went on to take the second set.
 
Down 1-0 in the third, the Broncs scored four-straight, led by a pair of kills by Rylah Robinson (Fairfax, VA/Robinson). Siena fought back to tie the set 4-4, but Rider immediately countered with an 8-2 run, including aces from Santiago and Tyler Adams. Siena slowly chipped away at the lead, getting within two at 16-14, but Rider would answer with a 4-0 run capped by a pair of Santiago aces, and the Broncs would not allow consecutive Saint points for the remainder of the match.
 
QUOTES & NOTES
"The execution was really good. Really proud of the team, seeing some things that Siena was trying to do differently, and make some adjustments. Getting the match in three, and keeping the energy throughout all three sets was pretty cool."
 
"Playoffs come with a different atmosphere. It feels different when it's playoffs, because all of a sudden you start to get tight, thinking we lose, we go home. We've got to be good and not losing our energy, and fighting off that thought process." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
 
"It was great being at home for the first round. It was an absolute advantage for us, and having that fan base. Getting on top and shutting them down early was great for us. Our block completely set me up. They lined up perfectly to where I could read exactly what was hit." – Senior Libero Keegan O'Connor
 
"We were able to see the ball really well, and we made adjustments early to be able to get on Siena's attackers. Then when we got those balls up, we capitalized well offensively, and just fired on every cylinder. We know it's the playoffs. We have nothing to lose. We're going all out and getting everything up. Our mindset is just nothing's going to touch the floor against us." – Junior Defensive Specialist Simone Langford
 
- Rider tops Siena for the third time this season, trimming the Saints lead in the all-time series to 30-23.
- The Broncs advance to the MAAC Semifinals for the sixth-straight season, and will face second-seeded Quinnipiac Saturday.
- Johnson led the Broncs with 11 kills, reaching double figures for the fifth time this season and ninth time in her career.
- Santiago finished with 10 kills, reaching double figures for the 19^th time this season and 52^nd time in her career. She now has 1,114 career kills, moving past Kaitlyn Griffin '17 for seventh in program history.
- Makenna Mason (Hilton Head Island, SC/Hilton Head) had 28 assists for her 28^th match this season and 74^th match in her career with double digits. She added a match-high 14 digs for her 13^th career double-double. She moves into a tie with Veronica Koval '18 for eighth in a single season in program history with 963 assists on the year.
- Simone Langford (Hollywood, FL/Flanagan) finished with 13 digs to reach double figures for the fifth time this season and 12^th time in her career.
- O'Connor finished with 11 digs, securing double figures for the 25^th time this season and 75^th time in her career.
 

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .340 in the match, while the Saints hit just .175 as a team.
- Rider had 44 kills to 33 for Siena.
- The Broncs had 50 digs to 40 for the Saints.
- Rider held advantages of 6-1 in blocks and 7-2 in aces.

UP NEXT
The Broncs advance to the MAAC Semifinals Saturday on the campus of Fairfield. The Broncs will play the second-seed Quinnipiac at 4 p.m.