The Canisius College volleyball team split its final two
games at the Bucknell Invitational, defeating the host Bison 3-2 before falling
to St. Francis (Pa.) by a score of 3-1. The Golden Griffins went 1-2 in the
two-day event and see their record move to 5-3 on the year.
In the win over Bucknell, the Griffs overcame an 0-2 deficit
and won the game's final three sets, finalizing the win with a decisive 15-5
victory in the final set. Canisius senior Morgan
Ammons led the Griffs offensive attack with 12 kills on 35 chances while
fellow senior Sarah Podlesh added a
match-high 21 digs from her libero spot.
Ammons was credited with a team-high 15 kills and the Griffs
hit .226 as a team, but it was not enough to overcome St. Francis' Shirley Miller
and her game-high 17 kills. Miller was good for a double-double as she added 12
digs to the winning effort, while teammates Kristin Buter and Keshia Gibbs
recorded 14 and 13 kills, respectively for the Red Flash.
Freshman setter Janelle
Davis was credited with 40 assists in the loss to St. Francis (Pa.), while
Podlesh posted 16 digs for the Blue and Gold in the losing effort.
“I think the fatigue factor came into play today because we
played a lot of volleyball in 24 hours,” Canisius head coach Cathy Hummel said.
“We showed some real mental toughness by winning that Bucknell match, but we
ran out of gas. Hopefully, these past few weeks will have us ready for the
start of MAAC play next weekend."
The Griffs will open MAAC play next weekend when he team plays host to Siena and Marist in the first home games of the season. Canisius will meet the defending MAAC champion Saints Sept. 20, at 2 p.m., before squaring off against the Red Foxes Sept. 21, at 2 p.m.
Game Notes: Canisius' win over Bucknell was the program's second in nine tries, dating back to the 1990 season... The Griffs still hold a 12-6 advantage in the series with St. Francis (Pa.)... Morgan Ammons was named to the all-tournament team after she averaged 13.3 kills and nine digs in three games... Canisius also played Montreal Saturday in an exhibition game... The Blue and Gold won that contest 3-1.
