Rider Looks to Keep Rolling in the First Round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship
EDISON, N.J. (April 13, 2021) – Rider University (7-4, 4-4 MAAC) returns to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship for the first time in 15 years to face UCLA (14-6, 14-6 Pac-12) in the First Round. The game is taking place at the CHI Health Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena in Omaha, Nebraska, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14 at 10:30 p.m. EST, with the winner advancing to face BYU on Thursday, April 15. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3.
This marks the fourth time Rider will compete in the NCAA Tournament and their first since 1996, the third of three consecutive appearances for the Broncs. They seek their first victory since 1994 when they defeated Army, 3-2, in a play-in game.
Rider, the fourth-seeded team in the 2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship, found momentum early in the tournament and kept rolling all the way to their first MAAC Volleyball Championship in program history. The Broncs swept No. 5 Manhattan College in their opening-round matchup, including a 25-14 win in the third set to clinch the victory. They would not advance as easily in their semifinal match against Siena, but following a split of the first two sets, the Broncs would once again capture the momentum and win the match, 3-1, to advance to their first-ever MAAC Volleyball Championship Game. In a hard-fought, four-set match, the Broncs would prevail over second-seeded Canisius to capture the championship and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. Anilee Sher was named the championship’s Most Valuable Player, finishing the tournament with 144 assists, 34 digs, 14 points, eight aces, and four kills over three games.
The Broncs earned two spots on the 2020-21 All-MAAC team, with Morgan Romano and Anilee Sher each getting the nod. Rider also took home several MAAC Volleyball Major Awards, highlighted by Romano being named the 2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Player of the Year. The 2019 Rookie of the Year was a pivotal contributor in her sophomore season, leading the team with 181 kills over 11 matches while additionally averaging 2.32 digs per set and recording 19 service aces. In addition to Romano, Sher was named the conference’s Co-Setter of the Year, and head coach Jeff Rotondo was voted BSN Sports Coach of the Year in just his second year at the helm of the Broncs.
Wednesday night’s matchup will be the first-ever between the two schools. This will be the first Pac-12 team that Rider has faced since August 29, 2014, when they played No. 5 USC at the 36th Community Bankers Volleyball Classic in Stockton, CA. UCLA finished the regular season winning three of their last four games. The Bruins’ 14 victories are tied for the second-most in the Pac-12 with the University of Oregon. UCLA closed out their regular season at home on March 28, topping Oregon State, 3-1.
For more information on the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship, visit NCAA.com.
Keep up with all MAAC volleyball action by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by searching #MAACVB.
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.