EDISON, NJ (Aug. 29, 2022) – The Gaels of Iona took down Providence, Holy Cross, and Central Connecticut to kick off their season with a statement and both Canisius and Marist went 2-1 on the weekend as MAAC Volleyball opened the 2022 season on Friday and Saturday.
 
Friday, Aug. 26
Match 1: Marist (1-0, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Georgia State (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) – 0
GSU Sports Arena | ATLANTA, GA
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Marist defeated Georgia State in three straight sets (25-21, 25-23, 25-21) to open its season at the Georgia State Panther Invitational. The Red Foxes got off to a quick start in set one, leading 10-3 after five attack errors from Georgia State. After winning the first set, Marist trailed Georgia State early in set two, 10-4, but the Red Foxes battled back to tie the set at 12 apiece and would hold the advantage over Panthers to win the second set, 25-23. The Panthers and Red Foxes would have five lead changes in the third set before Marist took it home, 25-21. Jordan Newblatt led the way with 14 kills and a .294 hitting percentage while Gabrielle Heller and Sasha van der Merwe had eight and seven kills, respectively.
 
Match 2: Marist (2-0, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Belmont (0-2, 0-0 Missouri Valley) – 1
GSU Sports Arena | ATLANTA, GA
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Marist defeated Belmont (25-18, 25-22, 16-25, 25-13) to sweep opening day. After a dominant first set, the Red Foxes came from behind to defeat the Bruins in set two. Marist closed out the match with a win in the fourth set, exploding with a 7-1 opening scoring run to extend their lead en route to the victory. Van der Merwe tallied 20 kills and two service aces and finished the match with a hitting percentage of .273 while McKinley Fox surpassed 2,000 career assists with 42 for the match and Newblatt had eight kills.
 
Fairfield (1-0, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Eastern Michigan (0-2, 0-0 Mid-American) – 1
Breslin Center | EAST LANSING, MI
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Four Stags registered double-digit kills as a balanced effort led Fairfield to a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-21, 28-26, 25-20) over Eastern Michigan at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational. Reigning MAAC Player of the Year KJ Johnson led the offense with 13 kills and picked up 12 digs to complete a double-double. Sara Daniels had a dozen kills in her Fairfield debut, followed by 11 apiece for Mikayla Haut and Ella Gardiner. Joelle Battles capped the attack with seven kills from the right side. Daniels' 12 kills came on .500 hitting as she committed on one error on her 22 swings. The graduate student also had a hand in eight of Fairfield's 13 team blocks. Gardiner added a .280 mark from the middle and got a piece of four rejections.
 
Iona (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Providence (0-0, 0-0 Big East) – 1
Hynes Athletics Center | NEW ROCHELLE, NY
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Iona earned a four-set victory (16-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-17) against Providence to begin the 2022 season with a victory on their home court at the Iona Gaels Tournament. After dropping the first set, the Gaels bounced back, winning the final three sets led by a match-high 40 digs from Hope Matschner and a double-double by Mackenzie Wiggins. In comeback fashion, the Gaels closed the second set with three consecutive kills from Greta Stjade, Morgan Madasz, and Jen Soto to even the match at a set apiece. Four Gaels finished with nine or more kills with Wiggins' match-high 13, Fleur Wiersma adding 10, and Soto and Stjade with nine apiece. Sam Juran passed out 25 assists with Emma Vu pouring out 14 helpers.
 
Match 1: Canisius (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Lindenwood (1-0, 0-0 Ohio Valley) – 3
Gates Sports Center | FORT WAYNE, IN
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Despite a late rally in the third set to knot the game at 20-20, Canisius could not overcome Lindenwood as the Griffs fell in three straight sets (19-25, 17-25, 23-25) to the Lions in their season-opening match at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational. Kara Zaucha led all players with 12 kills while Isabella Bourque dished out 26 assists and scored two aces in her NCAA debut. As a team, Canisius recorded a .105 hitting percentage (33-21-114).
 
Match 2: Canisius (1-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Purdue Fort Wayne (0-1, 0-0 Horizon) – 2
Gates Sports Center | FORT WAYNE, IN
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Canisius bounced back from its morning loss to take down host Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-2, and salvage a split of its opening-day matches at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational. The Griffs would go on an 8-3 run to close out the fifth set, securing head coach Tom Hanna's first victory at Canisius (25-11, 25-19, 14-25, 13-25, 15-11). Taylor Baldwin led the way for Canisius with 14 kills with Bourque serving 35 assists in just her second NCAA match. The Griffs hit at a .199 clip (47-19-141), an improvement from the first match of the day.
 
Match 1: Niagara (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Hofstra (1-0, 0-0 CAA) – 3
Mack Physical Education Center | HEMPSTEAD, NY
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Niagara fell in three straight sets against host Hofstra (20-25, 23-25 and 18-25) to kick off the their season at the Hofstra Invitational. Kinga Wronska posted a team-best seven kills, with a .412 kill percentage and .235 hitting percentage. The first-year Purple Eagle also picked up two assists and nine digs. Taylor Allen had six kills and three block assists in the match. Casey Brown totaled nine assists and Bella Peroni finished with seven digs. As a team, NU posted a .279 kill percentage and .105 hitting percentage.
 
Match 2: Niagara (1-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Bryant (0-2, 0-0 America East) – 0
Mack Physical Education Center | HEMPSTEAD, NY
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Niagara rebounded in the second match, picking up a sweep of Bryant (25-21, 26-24 and 25-12). Wronska built on her performance from earlier in the day, recording a team-high 20 kills and two block assists. The freshman finished with a .317 hitting percentage as each Purple Eagle posted a positive percentage in the win. Brown recorded 24 assists, followed by Kelly McArthur with 13. Lexi Bapst put together a six-kill, 15-dig performance in the match. As a team, Niagara hit .244 and a .361 kill percentage.
 
Quinnipiac (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Stony Brook (1-0, 0-0 CAA) – 3
Pritchard Gymnasium | STONY BROOK, NY
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Quinnipiac fell short in their season opener on the road against Stony Brook, dropping three straight sets (14-25, 23-25, 16-25). Ginevra Giovagnoni led the Bobcats with nine kills and seven digs in her first collegiate match, while Chloe Ka'Ahanui contributed 10 assists. Alexandra Tennon and Giovagnoni led the way with two service aces apiece and Damla Gunes contributed nine assists and three digs.
 
Saint Peter’s (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Merrimack (1-1, 0-0 NEC) – 3
Lundholm Gymnasium | DURHAM, NH
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Saint Peter's dropped its season opener in a sweep vs. Merrimack (18-25, 7-25, 12-25) in New Hampshire's Holly Young Invitational. Sydney Kuzma was the Peacocks' leading scorer in her debut, tallying nine points. Kuzma's near double-figure effort came off seven kills, two block assists and an ace. She also had a team-high five digs. Lillian Konrad had 11 assists and a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage with three kills. Elena Bilhartz notched a team-high four blocks while Mackenzie Tucker and Camille Thoennes joined Kuzma as the three players who tallied an ace in the match.
 
Siena (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Boston College (1-0, 0-0 ACC) – 3
Power Gym | VESTAL, NY
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Emily Wunder led Siena with nine kills in a season-opening loss to Boston College by a final score of 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-11) at the Bearcat Invitational hosted by Binghamton. Paced by Wunder, Siena also received strong efforts from Sara Wagner and Olga Sawinska with seven and six kills, respectively. Siena hit a strong .357 in the first set of the match before falling off in the second and third sets.
 
Match 1: Rider (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | #10 BYU (1-0, 0-0 West Coast) – 3
Smith Fieldhouse | PROVO, UT
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Rider dropped three straight sets to BYU (10-25, 17-25, 16-25) in the Bronc’s season opener at the doTERRA Classic. Sydney Bond narrowly missed a double-double with 10 assists to go along with a career-high nine digs while Julia Slivka added six assists and Pamela Loh added six digs. Morgan Romano led the offense with six kills while Jenna Amaro added five kills on .333 hitting and Carley McAleavey had five kills on .308 hitting.
 
Match 2: Rider (0-2, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Washington State (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) – 3
Smith Fieldhouse | PROVO, UT
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The Broncs struggles with serves received continued in the day's second match with Washington State recording five aces in the first set to take a 25-11 win. In the second, Washington State held the Broncs to just .160 hitting in a 25-9 set. Washington State carried the momentum into the third, jumping out to a 12-3 lead on their way to a 25-9 win. Sydney Bond led Rider with 12 assists, with Slivka chipping in six. Loh and Molly Strah had three digs while Romano and McAleavey each had five kills, with McAleavey hitting .300 in that match.
 
Saturday, Aug. 27
Match 1: Iona (2-0, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Holy Cross (0-2, 0-0 Patriot League) – 1
Hynes Athletics Center | NEW ROCHELLE, NY
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Iona earned two victories to finish the Iona Gaels Tournament undefeated, improving to 3-0 for the first time this century. Hope Matschner took home tournament MVP with Jen Soto and Greta Stjade earning all First-Team honors. In the first match, the Gaels defeated Holy Cross in four sets (25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16), led by a joint effort with Stjade pouring in a match-high 11 kills and Soto and Mackenzie Wiggins finishing with eight and seven, respectively. Sam Juran dished out a match-high 22 and Emma Vu finished with 12 helpers. Matschner continued her stellar play, finishing with a match-best 25 digs.
 
Match 2: Iona (3-0, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Central Connecticut (1-2, 0-0 NEC) – 0
Hynes Athletics Center | NEW ROCHELLE, NY
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Wiggins started the attack for the Gaels with a kill on the matches first point, beginning a fast start for Iona against Central Connecticut. Stjade recorded 15 kills, with Fleur Wiersma and Soto both at eight, respectively. Tamara Pichardo dished out an early season-high 23 assist with Juran finishing with 16 on the night. Matschner finished with a match-high 24 digs, finishing the tournament with 89 digs. Wiggins chipped in seven kills and 11 digs in the victory.
 
Canisius (2-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 3 | Western Illinois (0-2, 0-0 Summit) – 2
Gates Sports Center | FORT WAYNE, IN
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Canisius defeated Western Illinois, 3-2, in its final match of the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational (25-17, 24-26, 25-21, 22-25, 15-7). In the fifth set, Emma Mans registered back-to-back kills to force a Leathernecks timeout and give the Griffs some breathing room at 6-3. Canisius would not look back, extending its lead with Ella Loussia finishing off Western Illinois with a service ace to clinch a 15-7 set win and 3-2 victory. Loussia led the way in kills with 25 while Isabella Bourque continued her torrid start with 53 assists. As a team, the Griffs hit at a .261 clip (66-19-180), their highest mark yet. Loussia was named to the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational All-Tournament Team after registering 40 kills, seven service aces, and 25 digs over three matches.
 
Marist (2-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 1 | Auburn (3-0, 0-0 SEC) – 3
GSU Sports Arena | ATLANTA, GA
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Marist dropped a four-set decision to Auburn on the final day of the Georgia State Panther Invitational (20-25, 25-16, 9-25, 12-25). Marist came out strong in set two, leading 4-0. Vanessa Zolg collected a kill and block, along with a kill from Sasha van der Merwe and Jordan Newblatt. The Red Foxes extended their lead with a 5-0 run to lead Auburn 15-8 and would close out the set strong, collecting 25-16 victory. For the match, Newblatt led Marist with 12 kills while Van der Merwe tallied nine kills and four service aces.
 
Match 1: Niagara (1-2, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Miami (3-0, 0-0 ACC) – 3
Mack Physical Education Center | HEMPSTEAD, NY
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Miami proved to be too much for Niagara as the Canes picked up a sweep (25-7, 25-13, and 25-13) of the Purple Eagles. Jenna Vogen led the way with six kills, followed by Kinga Wronska and Lexi Bapst with five apiece. Kylie Blessing picked up a team-high 11 assists, followed by Casey Brown with four and Bella Peroni with three.
 
Match 1: Quinnipiac (0-2, 0-0 MAAC) – 2 | Fordham (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10) – 3
Pritchard Gymnasium | STONY BROOK, NY
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Quinnipiac went the distance with Fordham, eventually falling in five sets (16-25, 25-23, 26-24, 23-25, 8-15). Ginevra Giovagnoni led the Bobcats with a career-high 22 kills and seven digs, while Damla Gunes contributed a career-high 55 assists and 12 digs for her first collegiate double-double. Nicole Legg contributed four blocks and three service aces while Kimsel Moe led the Bobcats with 21 digs.
 
Match 1: Rider (0-3, 0-0 MAAC) – 1 | Duke (1-2, 0-0 ACC) – 3
Smith Fieldhouse | PROVO, UT
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Rider took the opening set off of ACC opponent Duke before eventually falling in four sets (25-23, 22-25, 16-25, 18-25) to close out competition at the doTERRA Classic. In a first set that featured nine ties, Duke began to pull away midway through, but Rider would fight back. After trailing 22-16, the Broncs went on a 9-1 run, briefly tying the set at 23-23, before winning the final two points of the set to secure the win. For the match, Julia Slivka set a career-high with 20 assists, while Pamela Loh had the Broncs first double-digit dig match of the season with a team-high 10 and Morgan Romano led the Broncs with the team's first double-digit kill match of the season, finishing with 11 on .333 hitting. Carley McAleavey earned All-Tournament Team honors.
 
Match 1: Fairfield (1-1, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Louisiana (2-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) – 3
Breslin Center | EAST LANSING, MI
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In the morning match against Louisiana (19-25, 18-25, 10-25), Mikayla Haut paced the attack with nine kills, while KJ Johnson added seven. Ella Gardiner put down four kills in the middle, with two finishers apiece coming from Sabria Cooper, Sara Daniels, Nya Jones and Blakely Montgomery. Montgomery dished out 21 assists from the setter spot while defensively, Morgan Doll notched eight of the Stags' 29 digs. In the front row, Gardiner had a hand in two of Fairfield's three blocks with Johnson, Haut and Cooper playing a part in one rejection apiece.
 
Match 2: Fairfield (1-2, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Michigan State (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) – 3
Breslin Center | EAST LANSING, MI
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Johnson led Fairfield in the nightcap (15-25, 21-25, 13-25), putting down six kills against host Michigan State. Gardiner and Haut each had five, Cooper and Joelle Battles hammered two apiece, and Daniels registered one. Montgomery dished out 16 assists. The Stags racked up nine blocks to highlight the defensive performance against the Spartans. Daniels got a piece of eight of those nine send-backs, and Johnson was in on seven blocks.
 
Match 1: Saint Peter’s (0-2, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | St. Francis Brooklyn (2-1, 0-0 NEC) – 3
Lundholm Gymnasium | DURHAM, NH
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Saint Peter's fell in three sets to Saint Francis Brooklyn (14-25, 25-27, 17-25). Elena Bilhartz was the leading scorer against the Terriers, finishing with 10 points off five kills, three aces and three blocks. Morgan Thurlow recorded a team-highs six kills, hitting .176. Lillian Konrad more than doubled her assist total from her debut, finishing with 21 assists in the match.
 
Match 2: Saint Peter’s (0-3, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | New Hampshire (3-0, 0-0 America East) – 3
Lundholm Gymnasium | DURHAM, NH
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Saint Peter's fell in three sets to host-school New Hampshire (6-25, 12-25, 21-25). Thurlow recorded a team-highs six kills, hitting .364 against the Wildcats while Mackenzie Tucker also had a team-high six kills. Konrad had 16 assists.
 
Match 1: Siena (0-2, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Maryland Eastern Shore (1-1, 0-0 MEAC) – 3
Power Gym | VESTAL, NY
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Siena battled on Saturday, as they dropped a pair of matches to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Binghamton in the final day at the Bearcat Classic. Claire Isaksen showed out with a 16-assist, nine-dig, and four-ace performance as the Saints fell in their first matchup of the day to UMES (16-25, 20-25, 24-26). Emily Wunder led the Saints with eight total kills. Olga Sawinska started sharp for the Saints with four kills in the first set despite the Saints falling in the first set. In the second set, Siena fell behind 9-1 early before coming all the way back within a point with the score 13-12. Siena also put up a battle in set three, pushing it to the end before the Eagles prevailed 26-24.
 
Match 2: Siena (0-3, 0-0 MAAC) – 0 | Binghamton (2-1, 0-0 America East) – 3
Power Gym | VESTAL, NY
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Siena finished off their weekend with a 3-0 (16-25, 20-25, 21-25) loss to host Binghamton. Gracie Halley tallied 18 total digs for a season-high, with Meghan Johnsson finishing with 16 assists. Hailey Hinkel added seven kills for the Green and Gold.
 
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.
 
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or visit MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.