The
Canisius College volleyball team started its 2012 home schedule with a sweep of
Loyola University in the Koessler Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon. The
Golden Griffins won 25-8, 25-17 and 26-24 to improve to 6-7 overall and 3-0 in
the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Senior
Logan Sulongga led Canisius with 11
kills to go along with a .526 attack percentage. The middle hitter duo of
senior Samantha Good and junior Roxanne Hernandez combined for 13 kills
and five blocks while each hitting above .300 on the day. Junior Sydney Palka had 31 assists while
senior Allyson Severyn had 11 digs.
"Except
for the later part of the first set, we had to battle for points throughout
this match against Loyola," Canisius coach Cathy Hummel
said. "We got a good match out of Logan on the outside and our middle hitters
were consistent contributors.
"I
also want to thank all of the fans and students who came out and gave us a great
atmosphere today. We fed off that energy throughout this win."
Canisius
broke open the first set with a 10-point run and won 17 of the final 19 points.
During the 10-point run that turned a 6-6 tie into a 16-6 lead, junior Emily Elek had two kills on the serve
of junior Jessica Warner. The Griffs
then won the final seven points of the set, getting two kills from Sulongga
during the run.
The
teams stayed close for the majority of the second set, with Canisius holding a
17-15 lead after Loyola got a kill from Lauren Arnold. The Griffs then won four
straight points, going up 21-15 on a solo block from Hernandez. Canisius took
the final two points of the set on kills from Elek and Good.
Loyola
(8-5, 1-1 MAAC) won the first six points of the third set as Canisius had to
battle back to prevent Loyola from forcing a fourth set. The Griffs would tie the score at
16-16 on a kill from Good after a 4-0 run. Canisius held its first lead at
18-17 after a Loyola error as the Griffs would eventually go up 24-21. The
Greyhounds fought off three match points to even the score at 24-24. Canisius
then used a kill from Sulongga and a kill from Warner to wrap up the match.
Canisius
concludes the homestand on Sunday, when the Golden Griffins host Rider. Match
time in the KAC is set for 2 p.m.
Notes: Canisius
is 3-0 in MAAC play for the second time in the last three years... Canisius defeats
Loyola for the seventh time in the last nine meetings... Canisius has won nine
straight regular-season matches in conference play and 27 of the last 29 sets... Severyn
had double-digit digs for the 25th straight match... Canisus won its
home opener in MAAC play for the eighth year in a row... Canisius improves to
38-17 at home in MAAC play since the start of the 2006 season... Good hit above
.300 for the third straight match and had double-digit blocks for the seventh
straight match... Sophomore Olivia
Chrzanowski had four kills on five attack attempts... Hernandez has posted double-digit
blocks in all 13 matches.
