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Leah Simmons attacks vs. Quinnipiac in the 2019 MAAC Championship Semifinal
Beth Lochner
3
Winner Quinnipiac QUI 14-15
2
Canisius CAN 15-16
Winner
Quinnipiac QUI
14-15
3
Final
2
Canisius CAN
15-16
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Quinnipiac QUI 25 25 18 20 15 (3)
Canisius CAN 23 15 25 25 12 (2)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Quinnipiac Spoils Volleyball’s Comeback in Semifinals

Despite an incredible comeback attempt that included a season-high 22 total blocks, the Canisius volleyball team fell in five sets to No. 6 Quinnipiac in the semifinal round of the MAAC Championship on Saturday evening at Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Conn. The No. 2 Golden Griffins dropped the first two sets to the Bobcats by scores of 23-25 and 15-25, but rebounded by taking the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-20, before losing the deciding set by a 15-12 score.
 
With the loss, the Blue and Gold close the season at a 15-16 record, while Quinnipiac (14-15) moves on to face their rival Fairfield in the MAAC Championship match on Sunday.
 
In the first set, Canisius was able to jump out to a 14-8 lead thanks in part to a pair of service aces from Hannah Nelson, as the sophomore matched Somer Sharpstone's Canisius single-season record with her 54th and 55th aces of the year. But Quinnipiac took nine of the next 11 points to pull ahead and eventually won the set, 25-23. The second set saw Canisius claw back several times to keep it close with the Bobcats, but Quinnipiac finished off the stanza with an 8-0 surge that put the Griffs into a 0-2 hole going into the intermission.
 
The Griffs used a 6-0 run midway through the third set to turn a one-point lead at 15-14 into a seven-point cushion. Canisius then weathered a quick rally from Quinnipiac to get the final four points of the frame, highlighted by the season-high 19th block of the night on set-point. Canisius had 10 blocks as a team in the third set, while freshman Ella Loussia pounded down six kill during the frame. Canisius had to fight out off an early hole in the fourth frame after Quinnipiac jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but six-straight points by the Griffs later on gave them a 14-10 advantage they would hold on to. The Bobcats made it interesting by bring the match to 20-19, but Nelson connected on a kill and then proceeded to make history by tallying her 56th and 57th service aces of the season on the next two points, as Canisius finished out the set, 25-20.
 
Taking the first three points of deciding set, Canisius then surrendered a 6-0 run to the Bobcats. The Griffs pulled the fifth frame even at 9-9 but Quinnipiac rattled off six of the final nine points to win the match.
 
Canisius was led by Camila Vazquez's 13 kills, as the sophomore posted a .344 hitting percentage and added on seven block assists. Nelson and Loussua both notched 12 kills, as Nelson recorded a double-double with 13 digs, while Loussia racked up a career-high nine blocks and two aces. Senior Leah Simmons closed out her final season with a career-high 12 blocks in addition to eight kills, and freshman Camille Vanleer also tallied a career-best 10 blocks. Registering her 20th double-double of the season, senior Cassidy Ceriani posted 41 assists and 12 digs, and freshman libero Bree Long finished the match with a career-high 37 digs.
 
Quinnipiac's Olga Zampati led all players with 24 kills, while Georgia Tselepi and Morgan Sherwin tallied 16 and 10 kills, respectively. Aryanah Diaz tallied 26 assists and 18 digs, and Alejandra Rodriguez paced the Bobcats with 26 digs.
 
Head Coach Lenika Vaquez's Postgame Comments
"Today was bittersweet, mostly because my team played very well, we some very phenomenal and amazing things. We just had a slow start and a couple that did not go our way, that made the match go in Quinnipiac's favor.
 
"I think that this year, the team has shown a lot of resiliency and passion for the game. They have also really leaned on each other to make a lot of things happen. I have a lot of pride in them as a group."
 
Game Notes
• Canisius moves to 14-5 all-time against Quinnipiac, holding a 1-1 record with the Bobcats in postseason meetings.
• The Griffs ended the match with 22 total blocks, while the Bobcats posted 9.5 blocks.
• The 22 blocks are the most by the Griffs in match under Vazquez, and the first time Canisius has record 20-plus total blocks in a match since Nov. 5, 2006 against Siena.
• Ceriani moved into second all-time in Canisius history with 3,729 career assists, passing Janelle Davis.
• Ceriani's 1,035 assists on the season are also the seventh-most by a Canisius player in a season, surpassing her total from 2018.
• With 12 digs on the day, Ceriani moved into eighth in program history with 1,118 career digs.
• Long's 558 digs on the season is the most ever by a Canisius freshman and is the seventh-most by any Griff in a single-season.
• The 37 digs by Long are the most by a Canisius player since Emily Litwin totaled 27 in a MAAC Championship consolation match on Nov. 22, 2014 against Niagara.
• Vanleer's 10 blocks are the most by Canisius freshman in a single match since Simmons posted one solo block and nine block assists at Marist on Sept. 17, 2019.
• Ceriani's double-double was the 56th of her career, while Nelson tallied her 13th career double-double.
 
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