Rider University Athletics

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Rider University volleyball team earned a Metro Conference weekend sweep Saturday night, defeating Manhattan, 25-17, 25-14, 24-26, 25-22. The Broncs improve to 5-13 on the season, and 4-5 in Metro play, while the Jaspers fall to 5-15 overall, and an equal 4-5 in conference play.
 
After grabbing a 3-2 lead early in the first, Rider scored four-straight, led by a block and a kill from Tori Bonacci (Downingtown, PA/Bishop Shanahan). The Jaspers trimmed the Rider lead to 11-10, but the Broncs again responded with a 4-0 run, getting back-to-back-to-back kills from Anja Kelly (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley), Molly Rohde (Hortonville, WI/Hortonville), and Rylah Robinson (Fairfax, VA/Robinson). Leading 20-16, Makenna Mason (Hilton Head Island, SC/Hilton Head) served four-straight for the Broncs, to put the set out of reach.
 
In the second, the Broncs grabbed an early 3-0 lead, including another kill from Kelly. Leading 7-5, Rider went on another 4-0 run, including an ace from Mason. Holding a 19-12 advantage, Rider put the set away with a 5-1 run, capped by back-to-back kills by Rohde.
 
Manhattan grabbed control early in set three. Up 5-4, the Jaspers extended the lead with a 6-0 run. Trailing 13-6, the Broncs got back within one at 15-14 after an 8-2 run. Manhattan went on a 5-1 run to extend the lead back to 20-15. The Broncs did not go down quietly. The Broncs scored three-straight to get back within two at 20-18, then trailing 23-20, Rider went on a 4-1 run, led by a pair of blocks from Annabell Zachritz (Gainesville, FL/The Rock School). Manhattan would get the next two points to win the set, but the Broncs did get momentum entering the fourth.
 
Rider scored the first two points of the fourth as the set began going back and forth. With Manhattan up 12-11, Rider scored three-straight to take the lead. Then up 15-14, the Broncs used a 4-1 run to push the lead to four. The Jaspers got back to within one at 23-22, but Kelly got a kill, then a block to secure the set and the match.
 
 
QUOTES & NOTES
"We needed to stack another good day together. Yesterday means nothing if we followed up with a bad effort today. Proud of the week we had in practice, and proud of how it culminated in two wins. I don't think our confidence dipped too much, except in the beginning of set three. Knowing we fought back, we made the run in set three and it carried over. We made sure our confidence was an armor we put on, and not something that comes off easily." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
"We were firing on all cylinders. Serve-receive really picked it up this weekend. We had a lot of different shots that went our way. It was straight on attacking, a roll shot here, aa drop shot, a tip. We were mixing it up and had great communication." – Senior Right Side Anja Kelly
 
- Rider trims the Manhattan lead in the all-time series to 32-26.
- Mason had 45 assists, giving her 18 matches this season and 95 matches in her career with double digits.
- Simone Langford (Hollywood, FL/Flanagan) finished with a career-high 25 digs, reaching double figures for the 13^th time this season and 25^th time in her career.
- Kelly led Rider with a career-high 16 kills to post double digits for the sixth time this season and ninth time in her career.
- Robinson added 14 kills, reaching double figures for the sixth time this season and 26^th time in her career.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .261 in the match, while the Jaspers hit .154 as a team.
- Rider had 55 kills to 46 for Manhattan.
- The Broncs had 58 digs to 57 for the Jaspers.
- Manhattan finished with a 9-8 advantage in blocks and Rider had a 7-6 edge in aces.
 
UP NEXT
- The Broncs are back in action Friday, visiting Quinnipiac at 5 p.m.