Rider University Athletics

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Rider University volleyball team was victorious in straight sets Tuesday, defeating Saint Peter's 25-21, 25-11, 25-22. The Broncs improve to 7-14 on the season, and 6-6 in Metro play, while the Peacocks fall to 5-20 overall, and 4-8 in conference play.
 
The Broncs jumped out to a 5-0 lead in set one, with five different Broncs recording kills during the run. With Rider leading 8-3, the Peacocks responded with a 7-2 run to tie the set 10-10. Trailing 13-12, the Broncs responded with a 6-0 run to re-take the lead, capped by an ace from Simone Langford (Hollywood, FL/Flanagan). Saint Peter's pulled back to within two at 20-18, but the Broncs went perfect on side out opportunities for the remainder of the set to secure the first-set win.
 
Trailing 4-3 in set two, the Broncs went on a 4-0 run, led by three kills from Rylah Robinson (Fairfax, VA/Robinson). Up 9-7, Rider extended the lead with a 7-2 run. Leading 16-10, the Broncs left no doubt with a 6-0 run, including an ace from Carly Allen (Buffalo, NY/Sacred Heart Academy) to go into the break with a two-set lead.
 
The Broncs came out of the break strong, building a 6-1 lead, led by a pair of kills from Aubrey Baker (Vestal, NY/Vestal[Merrimack]) and an ace from Katie Cook (Stanley, NC/East Lincoln[Robert Morris]). Saint Peter's would immediately respond with a 4-0 run and both sides would struggle to find separation in the set. Trailing 21-20, the Broncs got back-to-back kills from Anja Kelly (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley) and Molly Rohde (Hortonville, WI/Hortonville) before an ace from Olivia DeSaro (Holland, PA/Council Rock South). After the Peacocks got a point back, Kelly got a kill, followed by a combo block with Tori Bonacci (Downingtown, PA/Bishop Shanahan) to claim the set and the match.
 
QUOTES & NOTES
"We were really clean and efficient through the first two sets. It got a little funky in set three, but we locked back in late, and we were able to take it. I liked how we stayed aggressive when we needed to, and when we stayed doing that, it worked out well for us. Saint Peter's has been having difficulty slowing teams down lately, so we knew if we stayed aggressive and run our tempos, we were going to have opportunities to score." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
"I just stayed confident in my abilities. Jeff always tells me I'm 6-4 and I might as well be mentally. I always want the kill, so I just go for it. We struggled a bit early in the season, but we have just been more aggressive. Just use our vision and hit it as hard as you can." – Senior Outside Hitter Rylah Robinson
 
- Rider extends its lead in the all-time series to 44-22.
- Makenna Mason (Hilton Head Island, SC/Hilton Head) had 33 assists, giving her 21 matches this season and 98 matches in her career with double digits.
- Robinson had a match-high 10 kills, reaching double figures for the ninth time this season and 29^th time in her career.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .431 in the match, while the Peacocks hit .131 as a team.
- Rider had 40 kills to 32 for Saint Peter's. In addition to Robinson's 10, Kelly added nine and Baker had seven.
- The Broncs had 26 digs to 20 for the Peacocks. Langford led all players in the match with nine.
- Rider finished with an 8-3 advantage in blocks and both teams had five aces.
 
UP NEXT
- The Broncs are back in action Friday, visiting Niagara for a 6 p.m. match.