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Leah Simmons and Sara Wesley go up for a block against Eastern Washington
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Junior Sara Wesley (left) and Sophomore Leah Simmons (right)
0
Saint Peter's SPUVB 0-22, 0-11
3
Winner Canisius CAN 7-13, 5-5
Saint Peter's SPUVB
0-22, 0-11
0
Final
3
Canisius CAN
7-13, 5-5
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Saint Peter's SPUVB 16 16 17 (0)
Canisius CAN 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Wesley and Leonard Pace Offense as Volleyball Downs Peacocks, 3-0

Junior Sara Wesley and freshman Claire Leonard paced Canisius volleyball's offense on Saturday, as the Golden Griffins bested Saint Peters, 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-17) at the Koessler Athletic Center. With the victory Canisius improved 7-13 and 5-5 in MAAC play, while the Peacocks dropped to 0-22, and 0-11 in conference action.
 
The Griffs held off Saint Peters pushes throughout the match, taking a 2-0 lead into the break, dispatching the Peacocks by identical 25-16 scores. Out of the break Canisius used a four-point run, with the score 6-5 in favor of the Griffs, to distance itself from Saint Peter's, and eventually win the set 25-17, and the match 3-0.
 
Wesley dominated the first set, tallying eight of 16 kills in the first frame, and ended the match with a sparkling .462 hitting percentage. She also chipped in four blocks and six digs, aiding the Canisius effort.
 
Leonard picked up her offensive game as the match went on, finishing with 13 kills and a .233 percentage. She also added two blocks and three digs in the win.
 
Sofia Lopez Acosta who has been dialed in as of late, tallied one dig shy of her season-high, with 24. Meanwhile Cassidy Ceriani kept the offense moving with 36 assists through the three sets.
 
THOUGHTS FROM COACH VAZQUEZ:
"I think the volleyball was good on both sides, and at certain times we would just pull away," head coach Lenika Vazquez said. "At the beginning of any set you have two teams that are very determined to win, and get those points. I don't think it says anything bad about us or about the other team; it's just a matter of us getting to that point where we start to push away and go on runs. That was the difference, we went on a lot more runs than them today."
 
"I think that having pin hitters, hitting over .200 is a very good thing. We made some changes offensively today, so I think they had to get adjusted to that as well. I just wanted to see something different from our offense to see if it would work, and they handled it well."
 
"I think that if we continue to stay focused on the game plan and working together, then this energy will shift and carry right into tomorrow."
 
NOTES:
• With the win over Saint Peter's, the Griffs are 33-12 overall, and 16-1 in the last 17 contests.
• Canisius is currently on a string of 16-straight victories against the Peacocks, dating back to Oct. 2, 2010.
• With its win against the Peacocks Canisius has matched its 2016 conference win total with eight matches still to go. Canisius is now 5-5 in MAAC action and was 5-13 against the league a year ago.
• Wesley set a new season-high in kills with 16 against the Peacocks, two shy of her career-best.
• Leonard posted double-figure kills for the 12th time this season.
• Lopez Acosta has been impressive over the last five matches, tallying 20-or-more digs in four of the five contests.
• Lopez Acosta has averaged 21.4 digs per set over the last five matches, while in her first 15 she averaged 12.8.
 
UP NEXT:
Canisius continues its homestand against Rider on Sunday, as the Blue and Gold stare down its final four home matches of the season. Canisius takes on Niagara on Oct. 26 (6 p.m.) before wrapping up with Manhattan (Oct. 28) and Iona (Oct. 29). Both of those weekend contests are slated for 1 p.m.
 
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