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Camila Vazquez attacks vs. Quinnipiac on Nov. 17, 2019
Dean Bogart
0
Quinnipiac QUI 12-15, 8-10 MAAC
3
Winner Canisius CAN 15-15, 12-6 MAAC
Quinnipiac QUI
12-15, 8-10 MAAC
0
Final
3
Canisius CAN
15-15, 12-6 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Quinnipiac QUI 20 10 20 (0)
Canisius CAN 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Clinches Second Seed with Sweep of Quinnipiac

Sophomore Camila Vazquez pounded down 14 kills to go with three blocks and freshman Ella Loussia added 12 kills to help lead the Canisius volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of Quinnipiac in MAAC action Sunday afternoon in the Koessler Athletic Center. Picking up their first win in straight sets since Oct. 27, the Golden Griffins won by set scores of 25-20, 25-10, 25-20.
 
With the win, the Griffs closed out the 2019 regular season with an overall record of 15-15 to go with a 12-6 mark in MAAC action. Canisius' win over Quinnipiac, coupled with Fairfield's 3-0 sweep of Niagara on Sunday, gives Canisius the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinal round for next weekend's MAAC Volleyball Championship.
 
Canisius fired on all cylinders Sunday, as the Blue and Gold hit .430 as a team while also recording eight total blocks en route to the victory. In the first set, Canisius led by as many as seven points early, but the Bobcats (12-15, 8-10 MAAC) battled back and trailed by just two points at 22-20 in the later stages of the opening frame. However, a pair of Quinnipiac attack errors and a kill from Loussia ended the opening stanza in Canisius' favor.
 
The second set was all Canisius, as the Blue and Gold turned a four-point lead at 12-8 into the 25-10 win after closing the match by scoring 13 of the final 15 points of the frame. The third set saw the Griffs hit .630 with 18 kills on 27 swings against just one attack error.
 
Vazquez ended the day by hitting .875, after her 14 kills came on 16 swings with no attack errors. Loussia was not far behind, collecting a .500 hitting clip after committing only one error on 22 attempts. Senior Cassidy Ceriani ended her playing career in the Koessler Athletic Center with a full stat sheet, as she posted 34 assists, nine digs, seven kills, five block assists and a service ace in the victory. Fellow senior Leah Simmons also had five block assists for the Griffs and she added four kills, two digs and an assist. Freshman libero Bree Long tallied 15 digs and sophomore Hannah Nelson added 11 more digs in the win, as the Canisius defense held Quinnipiac to a team hitting percentage of .136 on the day.
 
Quinnipiac was led by seven kills apiece from Kaleigh Oates and Morgan Sherwin, while libero Alejandra Rodriguez registered 10 digs.
 
Head Coach Lenika Vaquez's Postgame Comments
"I think that our defense was stellar. We were very focused in on our blocking scheme and I think that helped us two-fold. In the first line of defense, we got a lot more blocks than we usually get, and in the second line of defense, we were really able to set up and read a little bit easier than we have been sometimes. I had to take my hat off to the team for really executing the game-plan.
 
"We will take the next couple of practices and be really focused. Then, we'll enjoy it (the MAAC Championship) once we get there, that's the key. You have to enjoy the moment,  and that's what I want for them."
 
Game Notes
• With Sunday's win, Canisius improves to 14-4 all-time against Quinnipiac, including straight-set wins in three of the last four meetings.
• This will be the second-straight season that the Griffs enter the conference tournament with the second seed, claiming second place in the standings outright last year.
• Last season's win that clinched the No. 2 seed also happened to be a sweep of Quinnipiac.
• Loussia has tallied 10-plus kills in three-straight contests and in five of her last six.
• Vazquez has posted three-or-more blocks in 14-straight matches, and has notched eight-plus kills in her last eight contests.
• Ceriani is now just 20 assists away (3,688 career assists) from tying Janelle Davis (3,708 assists) for second in program history. At 1,106 career digs, she also four digs shy of passing Sarah Podlesh for eighth in the school's record book.
• Simmons now holds sole possession of sixth all-time with 243 block assists, while also moving into 10th all-time at 280 total blocks, passing former Griff Roxanne Hernandez in both categories.
• The 2010-12 Griffs were the last stretch where Canisius picked up back-to-back winning seasons in conference play. That was also the last time the Griffs appeared in the MAAC Championship in consecutive seasons.
 
Up Next
As the No. 2 seed in next weekend's MAAC Volleyball Championship, Canisius will return to action in the second semifinal game of the tournament, set for Saturday, Nov. 23, at 5 p.m., in Fairfield's Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Conn. The opponent will be the winner of Friday's First Round match between No. 3. Rider and No. 6 Quinnipiac. The Griffs' semifinal game will be broadcast live on either ESPN3 or ESPN+, with a full broadcast schedule set to be released by the MAAC office later in the week.
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