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Canisius University Athletics

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Hannah Nelson and Leah Simmons blocking vs. Rider
Dean Bogart
2
Canisius CAN 9-10, 6-1 MAAC
3
Winner Siena SIE 8-9, 3-4 MAAC
Canisius CAN
9-10, 6-1 MAAC
2
Final
3
Siena SIE
8-9, 3-4 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Canisius CAN 25 22 25 15 13 (2)
Siena SIE 21 25 23 25 15 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Siena Snaps Volleyball’s Winning Streak in Five Sets

Going to five sets for the third-straight contest, the Canisius volleyball team was unable to extend its winning streak with a loss to Siena Sunday evening at Alumni Recreation Center in Loudonville, N.Y.

In a match that was delayed nearly three hours due to a power outage, the Golden Griffins and Saints traded the first four frames before Siena narrowly edged out the Blue and Gold in the deciding set (25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 15-25, 13-15).
 
The Griffs fell to 9-10 overall with the loss and shifted to 6-1 in conference action. Siena improved to 8-9 on the season and 3-4 in the MAAC standings.
 
Powering the Griffs was senior Leah Simmons with 14 kills and two blocks. Sophomore Hannah Nelson recorded her seventh double-double of the season, tallying 10 kills and 12 digs on top of six block assists, two solo blocks and two aces. Senior Cassidy Ceriani also had a double-double, finishing with 43 assists, 15 digs, three block assists and a service ace. Freshman Ella Loussia added on nine kills and five blocks. Sophomore Camila Vazquez set a career-high in blocks for the second-straight match, topping her nine block assists from Saturday with 10 block assists against Siena. Defensively, freshman Bree Long had 24 digs and senior Carly Shifflet followed with 13 digs to go with five kills.
 
Leading the Siena side was Sol Guidarelli with a double-double, totaling 15 kills and 13 digs, as fellow Spaniard Maria Llinas also posted a double-double with 51 assists and 16 digs. Abbie Huffman and Maddy Dunigan both finished with 10 kills, while Madoka Weldon and Gracie Halley both recorded 20-plus digs in the win.
 
The first set saw Canisius open strong, powering past Siena for an 8-1 lead. The Saints climbed back into the frame and took a 21-20 lead off a 5-1 run, but the Griffs surged for five-straight points to close the set, 25-21, thanks in large part to two late aces from sophomore Ashley Kekeisen.
 
The second set saw Siena used an ace and three attack errors by the Griffs to take a 10-7 advantage midway through the frame. Siena held onto the lead the rest of the way despite Canisius pulling within one late, securing the 25-22 victory.
 
Coming out of the intermission, the Blue and Gold were able to take a 15-10 lead, but a 7-2 stretch from the Saints brought the set even. Taking a timeout at 23-23, Canisius pulled out the last two points to win the set and take a lead in the match.
 
Siena grabbed the fourth set, 25-15, taking advantage of an early lead as the Griffs were unable to recover from an early 5-5 tie.

The fifth set saw Canisius hold the 8-7 lead when the teams switched ends, but the Saints used a 3-0 run to grab a 13-11 advantage. The Siena lead proved too much for the Blue and Gold, as the Saints became the first MAAC team to defeat Canisius in 2019 with the 15-13 victory in the fifth set.
 
Game Notes
• Sunday was the 50th meeting all-time between the two schools, as Siena's lead in the series improved to 34-16.
• With the loss, no Canisius team has ever been able to obtain a 7-0 start to MAAC play.
• Simmons now has double-digit kills in eight-straight contests.
• Ceriani's double-double was the 48th of her career.
• This was Nelson's third-consecutive match with a double-double and her sixth double-double in the team's last seven contests.
• Nelson's eight total blocks are a career high as Sunday was her first time with more than two blocks in a match.
• Nelson now has multiple aces in five-straight contests.
• Kekeisen's three aces Sunday matched her career high, previously doing so on Sept. 20, 2018 at Manhattan.
 
Up Next
The Golden Griffins stay on the road next weekend, taking on Quinnipiac and Fairfield in Connecticut. Canisius plays the Bobcats on Oct. 19 and the Stags the following day. Both matches set for opening serve at 1 p.m.
 
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