Canisius, Niagara, Rider Advance to Semifinals of the 2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship

4/1/2021 8:36:52 PM

Canisius College – 3 | Quinnipiac University – 1
2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship – Quarterfinal
Albany Capital Center | Albany, NY

Canisius College (8-3, 7-3 MAAC) defeated Quinnipiac University (3-7, 3-6 MAAC) 3-1 in the opening match of the 2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship. After dropping the first set, 22-25, the Golden Griffins took over the rest of the way and won three sets in a row. Canisius advances to play No. 3 seed Niagara University tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in the semifinal round.

Canisius Notes

After dropping the first set, Canisius surrendered 20 points or fewer for the final three sets of the match.
In the final set, the Griffs would go on a 17-7 run to seal the victory.
Bree Long tallied a career-high 38 digs for Canisius, leading the match.
Canisius is 7-0 on the season when it out-hits their opponents.
Ashley Kekeisen posted a career-high 33 assists in the victory

Quinnipiac Notes

The Bobcats took the first set 25-22 after winning four of the final five points of the set, but then lost the next three sets to drop the match 1-3.
Quinnipiac’s Maggie Baker led all players with 16 kills.
Chloe Ka’Ahanui’s 23 assists were a team-high for the game.
Daniella Balsano and Maggie Baker tied for the team lead in digs, registering 18 each.

Niagara University – 3 | Iona College - 0
2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship – Quarterfinal
Albany Capital Center | Albany, NY

Niagara University (5-3, 4-3 MAAC) swept the Iona Gaels (3-7, 3-6 MAAC) in three sets to win the second game of the 2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship. With the win, Niagara won its only matchup versus Iona this season. Niagara is set to face the highest remaining seed in Canisius tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in the semifinal round.

Niagara Notes

Leading the team in kills was Jaycie Roberts with 11. Jessica Streuer led in assists with 16, and Amanda Darling tallied 30 digs for the Purple Eagles.
Niagara jumped out to an early 11-5 lead in the first set and later went on a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 21-11, with Alexandra Leitner earning the set point on a service ace.
The Purple Eagles continued their early set domination by jumping out to an 8-2 lead in the second set. A 6-0 run later on increased their lead to 20-11, eventually closing out the set with a 25-18 win.
In a close third set, Niagara managed to come out on top by a score of 25-23 after trailing 23-22 late in the set.
Taylor Allen had a team-high three blocks for Niagara

Iona Notes

Jamie Smith had a team-high 15 kills and added one block.
Samantha Juran led all players with 23 assists and had a team-high 19 digs.
After dropping the first two sets 25-16 and 25-18, Iona played a close third set with Niagara that saw 12 ties and six lead changes, but ultimately dropped the final set, 25-23.
Taylor Cole led all players with 33 receptions.

Rider University – 3 | Manhattan College - 0
2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship – Quarterfinal
Albany Capital Center | Albany, NY

Rider University (5-4, 4-4 MAAC) swept Manhattan college (4-7, 4-6 MAAC) in three sets to win the third game of the 2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship. With the win, Rider completed the season sweep of Manhattan, wining their meetings this year 3-0, 3-1, and 3-0. Rider advances to play the eight-seeded Siena Saints in the Semifinals tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.

Rider Notes

Rider swept Manhattan for the second time this season, winning in straight sets by scores of 25-22, 25-21, and 25-14.
Anilee Sher led all players with 30 assists while also adding four digs and two blocks.
Morgan Romano and Ali Ward each tallied a team-high nine kills.
With the victory, the Broncs advance to the MAAC Semifinals for just the third time in program history (2004, 2018).
Morgan Koch hit a team-high .385 from the middle while adding in seven kills.

Manhattan Notes

After falling behind 14-7 in the second set, Manhattan rallied with seven-straight points to tie the set at 14-14.
Erin Hoener had a match-high 10 kills while hitting .348 with two aces and two blocks.
Kai Riner had a team-high 13 digs, while Abby Wilde earned a team-high 20 assists and four kills.

Keep up with all MAAC volleyball action by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by searching #MAACVB. For championship information, visit MAACSports.com/VB.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40^th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.