EDISON, NJ (Oct. 3, 2022) – Fairfield, Iona, Marist, and Siena swept their competition in MAAC Volleyball conference action this weekend. The Stags defeated Quinnipiac, 3-0, to improve to 5-0 and take sole possession of first place in the conference standings while Iona, Marist, and Siena each came away 2-0 on the weekend.
 
Saturday, October 1
Fairfield (11-5, 5-0 MAAC) – 3 | Quinnipiac (2-10, 1-4 MAAC) – 0
Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Recreation Complex | FAIRFIELD, CT
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Fairfield Recap
Quinnipiac Recap
 
A balanced offense and stifling defense led Fairfield to a 3-0 sweep of visiting Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon at the RecPlex. KJ Johnson led the attack with 11 kills as the Stags improved to 5-0 in the MAAC. Fairfield's 5-0 tally makes them the lone remaining unbeaten conference squad. The Stags hit .352 as a unit, committing only six attack errors through the contest. Defensively, Fairfield limited the Quinnipiac to an .077 clip. The offense was run by the combination of Blakely Montgomery and Abby Jandro, who finished with 19 and 11 assists respectively while the Stags' six hitters all took between seven and 27 swings. Johnson's 11 kills came on 27 errorless attempts for a .407 rate. Her counterpart on the outside Allie Elliott put down seven kills. In the middle, Maya Walker headed the effort with seven kills on 11 swings without an error (.636). The rookie also got a piece of seven of the Stags' nine team blocks. In the back row, libero Kyla Berg logged a team-best 11 digs, with setters Jandro and Montgomery each contributing eight and Johnson recording five. Quinnipiac was led by 12 kills apiece from Tennon and Aryanah Diaz. Damla Gunes dished out 29 assists for the Bobcats, and libero Faavae Kimel Moe had a match-leading 14 digs.
 
Iona (9-6, 4-1 MAAC) – 3 | Canisius (5-9, 3-2 MAAC) – 0
Hynes Athletics Center | NEW ROCHELLE, NY
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Iona Recap
Canisius Recap
 
Iona earned its third straight victory, defeating Canisius in three-sets (26-24, 25-19, 25-23) at home on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Iona improved to 9-6 and 4-1 in MAAC play, which equals the best start to conference play since the 2018 championship season. Mackenzie Wiggins (13) and Jen Soto (10) led the offensive attack for the Gaels with Elena Bianchi (9), Nerin Valasakos (8), and Fleur Wiersma (7) finishing right behind them. Tamara Pichardo (26) and Samantha Juran (19) contributed to 45 of Iona's 48 assists. Wiersma and Bianchi each finished with three blocks apiece. Hope Matschner, continuing her stellar efforts at libero, poured in a match-high 28 digs. Pichardo reached double-figures with 10 digs to record her first double-double of the season. Wiggins (9) and Valasakos (8) digs rounded out the defensive efforts for Iona in the victory.
 
Marist (8-7, 4-1 MAAC) – 3 | Saint Peter’s (0-17, 0-4 MAAC) – 0
Yanitelli Center | JERSEY CITY, NJ
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Marist Recap
Saint Peter’s Recap
 
The Marist volleyball team took down Saint Peter's on the road in three sets on Saturday, as the Red Foxes improved to 8-7 overall and 4-1 in MAAC play. Marist won by scores of 25-15, 25-16, 25-22. The Red Foxes took control early in the first set, scoring seven straight points to jump out to a 9-2 lead. The Peacocks didn't have an answer as Marist took the first set 25-15. In the second set, the Peacocks and Red Foxes battled back and forth. The Red Foxes were able to take the lead and never looked back winning the second set 25-16. The third set saw Jaya Bhagat get it done for the Red Foxes, as she finished the match with 11 kills and six digs, which helped the Red Foxes cap of the third set with a 25-22 victory. McKinley Fox also had a dominant performance as she led both teams in assists with 24. Marist hit .323 for the match.
 
Niagara (4-11, 2-3 MAAC) – 3 | Manhattan (1-13, 1-4 MAAC) – 0
Draddy Gymnasium | RIVERDALE, NY
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Niagara Recap
Manhattan Recap
 
The Niagara women's volleyball program improved to 2-3 in MAAC play and 4-11 overall with a sweep (25-10, 25-20, 25-19) of Manhattan Saturday afternoon on the road. Of Niagara's four wins on the season, this is the second one to come in three sets. A total of 11 Purple Eagles recorded a kill in the sweep, led by Jenna Vogen's eight. Kinga Wronska, Taylor Allen, and Kelly McArthur followed with six kills apiece, while Laryssa Imbuzeiro added five. A trio of Purple Eagles recorded multiple aces, including Allen, Wronska, and Kylie Blessing. Wronska and Bella Peroni added a team-high 13 digs. Casey Brown led NU with 20 assists, her sixth 20-plus assists performance this season. Blessing finished with 15 assists, one shy of her season-high.
 
Siena (4-11, 2-3 MAAC) – 3 | Rider (4-10, 2-2 MAAC) – 2
Alumni Gym | LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ
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Siena Recap
Rider Recap
 
Ece Emrullah set a new season-high 15 kills as the Siena Volleyball team ousted 2021 MAAC Championship finalist Rider in comeback fashion 3-2 on the road Saturday afternoon. The victory marks the third road win for the Saints this season, and the first this season when behind 2-1 in the match. Emily Wunder finished the day with 13 total kills, while Sara Wagner fell just short of a double-double with nine kills and 10 digs. Gracie Halley added 22 digs – her seventh match of the season finishing with 20-plus digs. Kate Heinrich added three blocks. Rider's Morgan Romano led all offensive players with 23 kills.
 
Sunday, October 2
Canisius (6-9, 4-2 MAAC) – 3 | Manhattan (1-14, 1-5 MAAC) – 0
Draddy Gymnasium | RIVERDALE, NY
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Canisius Recap
Manhattan Recap
 
Behind four service aces from Bree Long, the Canisius volleyball team defeated Manhattan, 3-0, in MAAC volleyball action Sunday at Draddy Gymnasium. The Golden Griffins won the match with scores of 25-13, 25-18, 25-18, improving to 6-9 on the year and 4-2 in league play. Ella Loussia paced the Griffs with a match-best 15 kills while Ella Bourque totaled 31 assists, the 14th time this season the Yorkville, Ill., native has registered 25 or more assists in a match. At the net, Elle Shult recorded five total blocks, with one solo and four block assists while Emma Mans chipped in three block assists. Camila Gomez and Julia Monocal led Manhattan with eight kills apiece while Sarah Emmons had 13 assists. Only two players on the Jaspers registered one or more total blocks with Ananda Burgos having two and Menocal chipping in one.
 
Iona (10-6, 5-1 MAAC) – 3 | Niagara (4-12, 2-4 MAAC) – 2
Hynes Athletics Center | NEW ROCHELLE, NY
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Iona Recap
Niagara Recap
 
The Iona University volleyball team rallied from a set down twice, before earning a thrilling five-set (22-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-14, 16-14) victory over Niagara on Sunday afternoon at the Hynes Center. Trailing 14-11 in the final-set, the Gaels fought off three consecutive match-points before closing the match on a kill from Elena Bianchi sealing Iona's fourth straight win. Mackenzie Wiggins, Nerin Valasakos, and Tamara Pichardo each recorded double-doubles for Iona powering the Gaels to the come from behind victory and their ninth straight home victory, dating back to last season. In the fifth set, despite falling behind 5-2 and later 10-6, the Gaels continued to claw their way back into the frame. Facing their toughest task down 14-11, Iona managed to fight off three match-points on two kills from Valasakos and an attack error. Leveled at 14, Valasakos recorded another clutch kill, giving Iona their first lead of the set and a match-point. Bianchi sealed the victory for the Maroon & Gold on a kill as Iona closed out the match winning the final five points to complete the thrilling victory. Wiggins finished with 19 digs and Valasakos recorded a new career-high with 14 kills in the victory. Jen Soto poured in a season-high 12 kills with Fleur Wiersma (12) and Bianchi (10) rounding the Gaels' offensive attack. Tamara Pichardo (34) and Samantha Juran (25) combined for 59 of Iona's 66 assists in the win. Leading the defensive efforts, Hope Matschner poured in a match-high 30 digs as the junior is now up to 391 digs for the season.
 
Marist (9-7, 5-1 MAAC) – 3 | Rider (4-11, 2-3 MAAC) – 2
Alumni Gym | LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ
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Marist Recap
Rider Recap
 
The Marist volleyball team took down Rider in five sets on Sunday at Rider, as the Red Foxes won their third straight match. Marist came back after dropping the first two sets and prevailed by scores of 24-26, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-11. The Red Foxes were trailing 2-0 after going losing the first two sets of today's match. Marist then battled back and forth with the Broncs in the third set but were able to gain momentum and win their first set of the day, 25-22. In the fourth set the Red Foxes were able to get off to a 5-2 lead. The Broncs and Red Foxes went back-and-forth, but the Red Foxes were able to pull out the 25-23 win in set four. The fifth set saw Sasha van der Merwe and Jordan Newblatt get it done for the Red Foxes, as both had a pair of kills. Marist closed the match with three straight points to win the set 15-11 and take the match. Newblatt finished with a match-high 20 kills, followed by Owens with 19. Van der Merwe had a team-high 17 kills plus 14 digs and five blocks. Alyssa White hit .750 and finished with seven kills and five blocks while McKinley Fox led both teams in assists with 45.
 
Siena (5-11, 3-3 MAAC) – 3 | Saint Peter’s (0-18, 0-5 MAAC) – 1
Yanitelli Center | JERSEY CITY, NJ
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Siena Recap
Saint Peter’s Recap
 
The Siena Volleyball team finished off a successful weekend on Sunday, as they used a 19-kill effort from Sara Wagner to defeat the Saint Peter's Peacocks by a final score of 3-1 (25-15, 25-14, 25-27, 25-11). Wagner also added 13 digs for her third double-double of the season. Gracie Halley added 17 digs, and Ece Emrullah was strong up front with six blocks. For Saint Peter's, Elena Bilhartz had seven kills. Siena rolled early and often, as Wunder, Wagner, and Hailey Hinkel each collected a trio of kills through the first frame. A key 6-0 run late in the set created space for a one-sided result for a 1-0 lead heading into the second. The Saints continued to take advantage of Saint Peter's errors in the second, with Wagner finding her stride for five kills in the second. Siena scored in chunks, finishing the second set on a 7-1 run capped by a kill from Emrullah and two attack errors from the Peacocks. With a 2-0 lead, the Saints fell short in closing a three-set sweep. Holding a 20-14 lead late, the Saints allowed the Peacocks back into the game within striking distance as the score became 22-18 in favor of the Saints. Saint Peter's then ran off a 5-0 run to take a 23-22 lead. Despite the Saints reaching set point as they got the score to 24-23, the Peacocks pushed the line and came out with a 27-25 win to force a fourth set. In the fourth, Siena closed the door early as Wunder and Wagner took over, combining for eight kills in the frame. The Saints ended the match on a 4-0 run, capped by a service ace from Emrullah for the match-winning point.
 
The 2022 MAAC Volleyball Championship takes place from November 16 through 19 at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The 10-team, single-elimination championship will feature four rounds of action with the opening round taking place on Wednesday, November 16, followed by the quarterfinals on Thursday, November 17, the semifinals on Friday, November 18, and concluding with the championship match on Saturday, November 19. For all information regarding the 2022 MAAC Volleyball Championship, please 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) is in its 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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