Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Leah Simmons against Saint Peter's
Dean Bogart
0
Saint Peter's SPU 3-13, 1-4 MAAC
3
Winner Canisius CAN 7-9, 4-0 MAAC
Saint Peter's SPU
3-13, 1-4 MAAC
0
Final
3
Canisius CAN
7-9, 4-0 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Saint Peter's SPU 20 9 20 (0)
Canisius CAN 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Simmons Sets Program Record, Volleyball Sweeps Saint Peter’s

Breaking the program's single-match record with a .727 hitting percentage, Canisius senior Leah Simmons notched 18 kills as the Canisius volleyball team swept Saint Peter's Saturday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The Golden Griffins were able to roll through the Peacocks in straight sets (25-20, 25-9, 25-20), as the Blue and Gold defeated Saint Peter's in the team's home opener for the second-straight season.
 
Canisius improved to 7-9 overall with the victory and remained undefeated in the MAAC at 4-0. Saint Peter's dropped to 3-13 on the season and 1-4 in league action.
 
Simmons also added four digs and two block assists, while freshman Camille Vanleer followed with seven kills and two blocks. Sophomore Camila Vazquez and freshman Ella Loussia both tallied five kills in the win, as Loussia also recorded seven digs, two blocks and an ace. Senior Cassidy Ceriani controlled the tempo of the offense with 35 assists and three kills herself to go with eight digs. Defensively, freshman Bree Long led the match with 12 digs while tacking on three assists, and Hannah Nelson registered nine digs on top of three kills and two aces.
 
Saint Peter's was paced by Alanis Alvarado and Angeleyshka Curbelo, as both Peacocks had six kills. Wildalys Soto led the visitors with 14 assists and 11 digs while also posting a service ace.
 
In the first set, the two teams traded chances until a 20-20 tie was broken by five-straight Canisius points that gave the Griffs the opening frame, 25-20. The Peacocks were no match for the Griffs in the second set, as Canisius opened up with six-straight points. Another pair of 6-0 stretches gave the Griffs a 12-1 lead and then a 23-7 advantage, which they carried through to a 25-9 win. The third set was similar to the first frame, as the two sides swapped runs until a 4-0 Canisius surge ended the set, 25-20, and sealed the match.
 
Head Coach Lenika Vazquez's Postgame Comments
"The team showed really well defensively and there was a high level of communication. We were able to control that first ball which put us in-system and we were able to run the middle a lot, which made a huge impact today. I think that when Camille and Camila were up in the front they were running the middle well, and Leah was just on fire today."
 
Game Notes
• With Saturday's match, the all-time series between Canisius and Saint Peter's moves to 34-14 in the Griffs' favor.
• Canisius has now won their first home conference match in six-straight seasons.
• Simmons' .727 hitting percentage broke the previous program record set by Vazquez at Niagara last season, a .714 hitting mark on Oct. 18, 2018.
• This was the 10th match this season where Simmons recorded double-digit kills, and the 35th time she has done so in her career.
• Vanleer's seven kills are a season high for the freshman.
• Nelson now has multiple aces in four matches this season.
• Loussia has registered at least one ace in her last five contests.
• Long has reached 10-plus digs in eight-straight contests.
 
Up Next
The Golden Griffins finish out their home-opening weekend at the Koessler Athletic Center with Rider on Sunday. That match is set for 1 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

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