MATCH ONE RECAP:

The Canisius volleyball team fell to Central Arkansas to kick off its 2017 slate on Friday, as the team fell to the Bears, 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-16). Freshman Claire Leonard put forth a strong first match, tallying a team-leading eight kills, while Sara Wesley was next on the team with 7.

With the first set tied 13-13 the Bears reeled off 12-3 run with the score tied 13-13, to take the first match 25-16. Central Arkansas staked claim to a 2-0 lead in the match, again going on an extended 8-2 run, with the score 17-15 in favor the Bears to finish the stanza with a score of 25-17.

Canisius attempted to turn the tide in the third, however was unable to overcome the Bears attack and fell to Central Arkansas 25-16, and the match 3-0.

One of the bright spots for the Griffs was the performance of its freshman outside hitter, Leonard who finished with eight kills and an attack percentage of .333. Welsey also was a force from the middle with seven kills and two blocks.

Junior transfer Sofia Lopez Acosta also made an immediate impact in her first game as a member fo the Blue and Gold, tallying 14 digs and a service ace. Meanwhile Canisius female rookie of the year, Cassidy Ceriani, helped direct the offense finishing with 24 assists and nine digs, just missing out on a double-double.

MATCH TWO RECAP:

In the second match of the day the Griffs took on host Buffalo, and fell 3-2 (25-23, 26-24, 9-25, 14-25, 15-9). Canisius was lead offensively by Leah Simmons who tallied 13 kills and a hitting percentage of .313, while Claire Leonard also tallied 13 kills.

It appeared the Griffs had taken a stranglehold of the match through the first two frames, gutting out 25-23 and 26-24 set victories headed into the intermission. However out of the break, Buffalo broke back, taking set three 25-9 and set four 25-14.

In the decisive fifth set, the Bulls streaked out to a 13-6 lead before the Griffs notched three-straight points, thanks to a Buffalo attack error and kills by Leonard and Simmons, which pushed the score to 13-9. However the Bulls tallied the final two points to clinch the comeback bid, 3-2.

Aside from the pair of hitters leading the way, Cassidy Ceriani cashed in on her first double-double of the season, tallying 36 assists and 18 digs to lead the team in both categories.

QUOTE FROM COACH VAZQUEZ:

"Overall, I think we looked strong," head coach Lenika Vazquez said. "It's about us finding our consistency now. I feel like we took charge in the beginning of the match and then we started making errors. After the first two sets, Buffalo came out very aggressive and we started making errors. So with them turning up their intensity and hitting seams and us making errors on top of that, it wasn't a good balance. We have one more match in the morning, so we're focused on that right now. Hopefully we can make Hampton pay for this loss."

UP NEXT:

Canisius concludes its first tournament of the year on Saturday, as the squad kicks off day two of the Buffalo tournament against Hampton. Game time is set for 10 a.m. The team will then play in the Duquesne tournament next weekend with four matches slated for Sept. 1 and 2.