Volleyball Goes on the Road to Marist and Siena

MATCH #18
Canisius (8-9, 5-0 MAAC) at Marist (6-10, 4-2 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 12
Time: 1 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Location: McCann Arena (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)

MATCH #19
Canisius at Siena (7-8, 2-3 MAAC)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 13
Time: 1 p.m.
Live Video: Siena All-Access
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Location: Alumni Recreation Center (Loudonville, N.Y.)

The Canisius volleyball team, coming off a pair of home wins, is set to go back on the road to face Marist and Siena this weekend. The Golden Griffins will open the weekend on Oct. 12 at the Red Foxes before squaring off with the Saints the following day.

Scouting Canisius
• The Blue and Gold remained undefeated in MAAC play by picking up a win in their home opener with a sweep of Saint Peter's and then following that with a comeback victory over Rider in five sets the next day. The 5-0 record in conference action is the Griffs' best start since the 2012 squad opened their MAAC slate with six-straight wins.
• Senior Leah Simmons set the program single-match record for hitting percentage against the Peacocks, hitting at a .727 clip to register 18 kills, while sophomore Hannah Nelson tallied a career-high 22 kills in the win over the Broncs.
• Senior Cassidy Ceriani notched 78 assists over the two matches, tacking on four service aces against Rider to give her 101 aces in her career, one shy of tying Brittany Gerde for 10th all-time in Canisius history.
• Freshman Bree Long now has 275 digs for the Griffs out of the libero spot, and the rookie also sits second on the team with 70 assists. Simmons and freshman Camille Vanleer pace Canisius with 41 total blocks each.
• Canisius enters the weekend leading the MAAC with 16.05 digs per set, while the Griffs are second in the league with a .204 hitting percentage behind Fairfield's .209 clip.

Scouting the Opponents
• Marist is coming off a 3-1 loss to Quinnipiac Wednesday night, as the Bobcats dealt the Red Foxes their second conference loss. Before the Quinnipiac loss, Marist knocked off rival Siena in a sweep last weekend.
• Leading the Red Foxes is Megan Fergus and her 210 kills, as the senior ranks second in the MAAC with 3.56 kills per set. Fergus also paces the team with 51 total blocks thus far. Sarah Austin and Nikki DeSerpa ranks second and third on the team behind Fergus with 144 and 114 kills, respectively, and setter Halle Carter has tallied 449 assists heading into Saturday while facilitating the offense. Just like Canisius, Marist has depended upon a rookie libero, as Sophia Theriot has notched 215 digs so far this season.
• Siena enters the weekend having played just one match in 12 days, the three-set loss to rival Marist, where Dakota Jackson was able to notch eight kills in the losing effort.
• Ally-Reese Williams paces the Saints with 160 kills and Nicole Deobler has been the other offensive weapon to break 100 kills thus far with 102. Setter Maria Llinas has registered 516 assists for Siena, while fellow Spaniard Sol Guidarelli has a team-best 15 aces. Defensively, Gracie Halley leads the squad with 157 digs, while Maddy Dunigan sits third in the conference with 0.94 blocks per set (51 total blocks).

Series History
• In 38 all-time meetings between the Griffs and Red Foxes, Canisius holds a slight 20-18 edge over Marist.
• Last season, Marist opened MAAC play with a 3-1 victory over the Griffs on Sept. 15 before Canisius was able to return the favor with a thrilling five-set win at the Koessler Athletic Center. Then-freshman Camila Vazquez tallied a career-high 18 kills in the Canisius win on Oct. 21.
• Sunday's match between Canisius and Siena will be the 50th meeting between the two longtime MAAC schools, as the Saints hold the advantage at 33-16 all-time.
• In 2018, Canisius swept the season series with Siena for the first time since 2011, as a career-high 21 kills from Simmons led the Griffs to a 3-1 win on Sept. 16, before 10 kills from then-freshman Melina Woods powered Canisius to a victory in straight sets at home on Oct. 20.

Up Next
The Golden Griffins will finish out their four-match road swing in Connecticut next weekend, playing at Quinnipiac on Oct. 19 and Fairfield on Oct. 20. Both matches will begin at 1 p.m.

Follow the Griffs
For complete coverage of Canisius volleyball, please follow the Griffs on social media at @GriffVolleyball (Instagram and Twitter).

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Players Mentioned

#3 Cassidy Ceriani: S; 5' 11"; Senior

#14 Hannah Nelson: OH; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#13 Leah Simmons: MH; 6' 1"; Senior

#8 Camila Vazquez: MH; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#1 Melina Woods: RS; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#4 Bree Long: L; 5' 5"; Freshman

#15 Camille Vanleer: MH; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#3 Cassidy Ceriani
: 5' 11"; Senior
: S

#14 Hannah Nelson
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: OH

#13 Leah Simmons
: 6' 1"; Senior
: MH

#8 Camila Vazquez
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: MH

#1 Melina Woods
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: RS

#4 Bree Long
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: L

#15 Camille Vanleer
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: MH