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Canisius University Athletics

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Volleyball celebrates a Leah Simmons kill vs. Marist on Nov. 10, 2019
Dean Bogart
2
Marist MAR 12-14, 10-6 MAAC
3
Winner Canisius CAN 13-15, 10-6 MAAC
Marist MAR
12-14, 10-6 MAAC
2
Final
3
Canisius CAN
13-15, 10-6 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Marist MAR 25 21 22 25 11 (2)
Canisius CAN 19 25 25 18 15 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Simmons Reaches 1,000-Kill Milestone as Volleyball Tops Marist

Senior Leah Simmons became the 11th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills, as the Canisius volleyball team outlasted Marist in five sets on Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The Golden Griffins clinched a spot in the upcoming MAAC Volleyball Championship with the victory, taking the match by set scores of 25-19, 12-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-11.
 
The Blue and Gold improved to 13-15 overall and 10-6 in MAAC play, while the Red Foxes fell to 12-14 on the season and 10-6 in conference action.
 
Simmons' 15 kills on the day puts her at 1,004 during her time in the Blue and Gold, as the senior added six digs, two block assists and a service ace in the winning effort. Three other Griffs notched 10-or-more kills against Marist, as freshman Ella Loussia knocked down a career-high 13 kills at a .379 hitting percentage and sophomore Camila Vazquez put down 12 kills with a .478 clip. Fellow sophomore Hannah Nelson added 17 digs to her 10 kills to register a double-double, also tallying three aces. Racking up 47 assists, senior setter Cassidy Ceriani also finished the match with eight digs and four aces, while freshman libero Bree Long tied her career high with 29 digs.
 
Marist saw both Nikki DeSerpa and Sarah Austin match Simmons with 15 kills each to lead the contest, while Skylar Harrison posted 11 kills and four aces herself. Halle Carter finished with 45 assists at setter, and Sophia Theriot added 25 digs in the losing effort.
 
In the first set, Marist grabbed the first three points of the match and went on a pair of 5-0 runs in the opening stanza to take it, 25-19, as five different players between the two squads recorded four kills in the frame. The second set quickly saw the Red Foxes jump out to a 10-5 lead, but the Griffs clawed back and eventally ripped off a 7-0 stretch that started with back-to-back kills from Loussia and gave Canisius a 22-18 lead that they were able to keep for a 25-12 set win.
 
DeSerpa heated up in the third set for Marist with seven kills alone in the frame, but five kills from Loussia and 12 assists by Ceriani helped the Blue and Gold edge out another close stanza, 25-22. Then, with DeSerpa tallying another five kills in the frame, Marist used a 9-1 surge in the fourth set to take a nine-point lead at 15-6 and hold off a late Canisius push, 25-18.
 
Nelson started the fifth set for the Griffs in fashion, slamming home two of her four kills during the deciding frame on the first two rallies, as the Griffs weathered two-straight points from Marist and retook an edge they held the rest of the match.
 
Head Coach Lenika Vazquez's Postgame Comments
"Today was right in line with what I thought it was going to be, just both teams going out there and playing aggressively. It was nice to see the Griffs be very aggressive offensively and I think that was a game-changer for us. 
 
"As we were coming into today, we decided that we were not going to lose sight. We have plenty of time to get the job done if we stay aggressive and as long as we take care of our jobs and communicate with each other.
 
"I love coaching Leah, she is so flexible as a player. I can put her on the outside or I can put her in the middle, and that's really where she found a lot of success last year. So, it was nice for us to be able to do that again today and for her to reach the 1,000-kill milestone."
 
Game Notes
• With Saturday's win, Canisius now holds a 22-18 record all-time against Marist.
• The last three matches in the all-time series have all been five-set wins by the Griffs.
• The 65 kills by Canisius is a season high, recording 60-plus kills three other times this campaign.
• Simmons becomes the first Golden Griffin to reach 1,000 career kills since former teammate Katlyn Tyler did so in 2016.
• This is the third time Ceriani has tallied a season-high four aces.
• Vazquez has recorded three-plus blocks in 12-straight matches, and has 10-plus kills in five-straight contests.
• Nelson now has 10 double-doubles on the season and 11 in her career.
• Nelson has registered multiple aces in 13 matches this season.
• With 49 aces on the season, Nelson is now third among Canisius single-season service ace leaders, needing two more to match Leigh Launhardt (51 aces in 2002) for second.
 
Up Next
The Golden Griffins will close out the 2019 regular season slate at home with two MAAC contests against their league counterparts from Connecticut. On Nov. 16, Canisius will host first-place Fairfield on Senior Day, while Nov. 17 will see the Griffs take on Quinnipiac in the final match of the regular season.
 
Follow the Griffs
For complete coverage of Canisius volleyball, please follow the Griffs on social media at @GriffVolleyball (Twitter and Instagram).
 
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