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Volleyball Celebration at Niagara
Marshal Filipowicz
3
Winner Canisius CAN 10-10, 8-3 MAAC
0
Niagara NIA 6-14, 6-5 MAAC
Winner
Canisius CAN
10-10, 8-3 MAAC
3
Final
0
Niagara NIA
6-14, 6-5 MAAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Canisius CAN 25 25 25 (3)
Niagara NIA 19 14 18 (0)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Wins Battle of the Bridge in Straight Sets

Game Recap
Registering eight of her 15 kills in the third set, junior Leah Simmons helped the Canisius volleyball team sweep a highly-anticipated match over long-time rival Niagara Thursday evening in Lewiston, N.Y.
 
The Golden Griffins, who were looking to rebound after a 3-1 loss to Saint Peter's Sunday, won the first meeting in the Battle of the Bridge series by straight sets of 25-19, 25-14 and 25-18.
 
With the win, the Griffs improve to 10-10 overall, and their 8-3 record in MAAC play moves them into a tie for third place with Fairfield. For the Purple Eagles, they drop to 6-14 overall, now holding a 6-5 record in conference matches.
 
In addition to 15 kills, Simmons finished with a .500 hitting percentage, seven digs and two total blocks. Freshmen Camila Vazquez and Melina Woods were the other highlights for the Griffs, as Vazquez racked up 10 kills at a .714 hitting clip and Woods added nine kills with four digs. Woods opened the match on fire, knocking down five kills on her first five attempts. Senior Sara Wesley and junior Gabrielle Darnaby also provided steady offense, as Wesley recorded six kills to Darnaby's five.
 
Junior Cassidy Ceriani extended her streak of matches with 30-or-more assists to ten-straight, as the setter tallied 31 assists on top of nine digs, two service aces and two block assists. Senior Sofia Lopez Acosta and junior Carly Shifflet matched Ceriani's team-high nine digs, as Lopez Acosta also added on three assists and Shifflet contributed two kills.
 
The Griffs opened the match strong, as Canisius never allowed the Purple Eagles to lead the first set. The Blue and Gold pulled out the opening 25-19 win, in part to a team hitting percentage of .600. In the second set, Niagara took an early lead but the Griffs clawed back and eventually closed out the set on a 14-4 stretch to earn a 25-14 victory.

The third set saw five lead changes before one of Simmons' eight third-set kills carved out an 8-7 advantage for the Griffs. Canisius never looked back, driving home 21 combined kills in the final frame en-route to a 25-18 win that gave the Griffs their fifth sweep of the season.
 
Niagara was led by Jessica Streuer's double-double, as the freshman registered 26 assists and a match-high 11 digs. Jaycie Roberts paced the Purple Eagles offensively with nine kills and chipped on nine digs, while Caroline Leitch pounded down eight kills.
 
Head Coach Lenika Vazquez's Postgame Comments
"As they're introducing the lineup today, I'm looking and it's 'freshman, upperclassman, freshman, upperclassman, freshman and upperclassman'. So, it's a good balance. I feel like in practice we mix everybody together. Every once and awhile, we'll have fun and say 'old people versus the young people'. I think the upperclassmen are motivated by the newcomers and, of course, the newcomers have a level of respect for the upperclassmen because they've put in the time already. It's a mutual respect, which is very nice to have on the team."
 
Game Notes
• Thursday's contest was the 100th meeting between the long-time rivals. The Griffs now hold a 50-48-2 edge all-time in the series.
• The last time Canisius swept Niagara was Oct. 2, 2013 at the Koessler Athletic Center.
• The Griffs' last win at the Gallagher Center was Oct. 19, 2013.
• Counting last season's Oct. 26 win against Niagara, this is the first time the Griffs have won back-to-back matches versus Niagara since the 2013 season.
• It is the sixth time on the season where Ceriani has recorded two service aces.
• Vazquez has finished with exactly 10 kills in four of the past six matches.
• Since MAAC play began, Simmons has recorded nine-or-more kills in all but one contest.
• This is Simmons' first match ever with a hitting percentage of .500 or higher.
• Shifflet has now recorded five-or-more digs in nine straight matches.
 
Up Next
Canisius opens up a five-match homestand Oct. 20, taking on Siena. The Griffs follow that with a Oct. 21 contest versus Marist. Both matches are set for a 1 p.m. start from the Koessler Athletic Center and can be seen live on ESPN3.
 
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