The Canisius volleyball team opened conference play on Saturday afternoon, as the squad took on Marist in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Griffs battled back from a 2-1 deficit by winning a close fourth set, but was bested by the Red Foxes in the fifth to drop the contest, 3-2 (25-19, 16-25, 18-25, 25-22, 9-15). With the loss Canisius fell to 2-9 and 0-1 in MAAC play, while Marist improved to 1-10 and 1-0 in conference action.

After going up 1-0 with an early 25-19 win over Marist, the Blue and Gold suffered two-straight set losses, (25-16 and 25-18) to fall behind in the match 2-1.

The fourth frame was a different story, as Canisius staked claim to an 18-15 lead late in the set. Marist used an 8-5 run to pull within one point of the lead. Katlyn Tyler gave the Blue and Gold some breathing room with a kill, and an attack error by Mackenzie O'Brien sealed the match for the Blue and Gold.

In the decisive fifth frame Canisius closed the gap early, taking advantage of a service error by the Red Foxes to pull within one point of the lead, 5-4. However Marist's offense took over, reeling off a 10-5 run to secure the frame 15-9 and the match 3-2.

Tyler led the Griffs on offense, recording 12 kills and 10 digs for the double-double. In total three Griffs recorded double-doubles, with  Leah Simmons recording 11 kills and 10 blocks and Cassidy Ceriani notching 33 assists and 10 digs.

Ashton Koronoa was the Red Foxes biggest offensive prescence, leading the way with 19 kills, while Taylor Van Der Beizen had 33 kills and Lexi Millington had 26 digs to lead the team.

GAME NOTES
• With the win, the Red Foxes closed the gap in the series history, as Canisius now leads 19-14.
• Leah Simmons recorded a double-double in the match, and it was the first double-double that consisted of 10-or-more kills and 10-or-more blocks since Samantha Good accomplished the feat in 2009.
• With the trio of double-doubles recorded today, it's the second time this season that three Griffs have accomplished the feat in the same match, with the last coming in a win against Bucknell on Aug. 27.

NEXT UP
The Griffs finish up the weekend with a Sunday matinee against Siena in Loudinville, N.Y. That match is slated for 1 p.m. Following the match against the Saints, the Blue and Gold will return home for its home-opening weekend on Sept. 24 and 25. Canisius will play host to Saint Peter's on Saturday and Manhattan on Sunday. Both matches schedule to start at 1 p.m.