The Canisius volleyball team opened its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedule with a three-set win at Saint Peter's on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Griffins won 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 to win for the third time in the last four matches.

Senior Emily Elek had 11 kills and a .556 attack percentage to go along with five digs and two blocks. Freshman Jacklyn Malusa added 13 kills with eight digs while senior Roxanne Hernandez had six kills and three blocks. Junior Emily Litwin had 13 digs while setters Sydney Palka and Grace Streicher combined for 35 assists as Canisius hit a season-high .292 on the day.

“Road wins are never to be taken lightly, especially in conference play,” Canisius coach Cathy Hummel said. “We didn't play our best volleyball, but came out with a win and now will face a much-improved Rider team on Sunday.”

Canisius took control of the first set with a four-point run, going up 16-12 on a spurt that included kills from Elek and senior Jessica Warner. Saint Peter's (2-11, 0-1 MAAC) fought back and took a 22-21 lead, but Canisius scored the final four points of the set, getting four kills from four different players, capped by a kill from sophomore Lauren Siebert to take the first set.

The teams played another tight set, with the score tied at 19-19. A kill from Warner gave Canisius the lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Griffs went up 23-20 after a triple block from Hernandez, Warner and Malusa, forced a set point after another kill from Warner and went up 2-0 in the match after a Saint Peter's error.

The third set featured more of the same, with the match tied at 22-22. Canisius would take the final three points to close out the match. A kill from Siebert, error by Saint Peter's and kill from Malusa gave the Griffs the win in their conference opener.

Canisius (3-9, 1-0 MAAC) concludes its opening weekend of conference play at Rider University on Sunday afternoon. Match time at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, N.J. is set for 1 p.m.

Notes: Canisius has now won 17 of the last 20 meetings with Saint Peter's, including three straight years at the Yanitelli Center… Canisius won its MAAC opener for the sixth time in the last seven seasons… Canisius hit .375 in the first set and .364 in the third set… Warner posted five kills on 10 attacks… Malusa had five kills in the first set while Elek had five kills in the second set… The match featured 27 ties and 14 lead changes.