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Hannah Nelson celebrates a shot at home versus Siena 3-7-21
1
Siena Siena 0-2,0-2 MAAC
3
Winner Canisius Canis 2-0,2-0 MAAC
Siena Siena
0-2,0-2 MAAC
1
Final
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Canisius Canis
2-0,2-0 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Siena Siena 25 22 22 22 (1)
Canisius Canis 17 25 25 25 (3)
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Siena Siena 0-2,0-2 MAAC
3
Winner Canisius Canis 2-0,2-0 MAAC
Siena Siena
0-2,0-2 MAAC
0
Final
3
Canisius Canis
2-0,2-0 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Siena Siena 20 13 17 (0)
Canisius Canis 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Completes Sunday Sweep of Siena

The Canisius volleyball team opened the spring portion of its 2021 schedule with a two-match sweep of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Siena on Sunday at the Koessler Athletic Center. 

The Griffs dropped the first set of the afternoon, but responded with a trio of 25-22 victories to claim the first match, 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22). 

Canisius carried its momentum from the first match into the nightcap, winning all three sets to post a 3-0 win (25-20, 25-13, 25-17) and complete the sweep.  

Match One Recap
After dropping the first set, Canisius found itself trailing midway through the second frame before using an 8-3 spurt to erase a two-point deficit and build an 18-15 advantage. The Griffs would maintain control the rest of the way, earning a 25-22 victory to even the match at 1-1.
 
In the third set, Canisius jumped out to an early 3-1 edge before Siena battled back to take a 12-10 lead. The teams continued to trade points until, with the score tied at 22-all, a kill by Ella Loussia sparked three unanswered points for Canisius that gave the Griffs a 25-22 win and a 2-1 lead. 
 
The fourth set saw Siena score six of the first seven points of the frame on its way to building an early 9-4 advantage, only to see Canisius rattle off eight unanswered points to take the lead, 12-9. Siena would answer back with three of the next four points to make it a one-point contest, but Canisius regained control of the match moments later, taking advantage of a 5-0 run to force match point, 24-17.
 
The Saints mounted a comeback in an attempt to force a fifth set, using a 5-0 spurt of their own trim the deficit to 24-22, before an Elle Shult kill gave the Griffs a 25-22 victory and the match.
 
Junior Hannah Nelson recorded a career-high 25 kills and a .431 hitting percentage to pace a Canisius attack that hit .281 (62-19-153) for the match. Nelson also chipped in 14 digs to finish with a double-double.
 
Louissa contributed 10 kills in the winning effort while Shult pitched in nine. Sophomore Bree Long posted a team-best 17 digs while Rachel Kinney joined her in double-digit digs with 10. Callie Chamulak dished out a team-best 24 assists while Ashley Kekeisen added 18.
 
Greta Stjade paced Siena in the opening match with 17 kills and a .310 attack clip as the Saints combined for a .241 hitting percentage (52-14-158) in the opener. Maddy Dunigan pitched in 10 kills while Hailey Hinkel and Dakota Jackson chipped in nine kills apiece. Hinkel finished with a team-high 13 digs while Stjade added 11 to record the double-double. Meghan Johnsson and Anna Mayer dished out 22 and 21 assists, respectively.

Match Two Recap
Siena open the second match of the afternoon with a 5-4 margin, which turned out to be its only lead of the nightcap. Canisius then jumped out to a 12-7 advantage on kills by Camila Vazquez, Hannah Nelson, Ashley Kekeisen and Elle Shult, forcing a Siena timeout. Coming out of the break, Canisius would out-score the Saints, 13-7, the rest of the way to finish off the first set, 25-20. 

The Blue & Gold continued their stellar play in the second set, building a 6-1 cushion courtesy of two kills by Ella Loussia and a kill by Shult. The Golden Griffins expanded their lead to double digits, courtesy of a 8-2 run which gave Canisius a 17-7 advantage, leading to a Saints timeout. Two kills courtesy of freshman Danielle Marler late in the set gave Canisius a 25-13 victory and a 2-0 lead heading into the third set. 

In the third and final set, the two teams went back-and-forth before Canisius was able to create some separation, grabbing a 15-11 advantage. The Griffs would complete the doubleheader sweep of the Saints, closing the match on a 12-5 run. Nelson would clinch the two-win day for the Griffs courtesy of a service ace, which gave the Blue & Gold a 25-17 victory in the third. 

In the second match, Canisius was led by Shult and Nelson with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Senior Andrea Diaz Lopez chipped in seven kills for the Griffs asthe home team would hit .348 (46-7-112) in the match. Nelson led Canisius with 12 digs in the nightcap to finish with her second double-double on the day. 

Loussia aided the attack with eight kills of her own to go along with 11 digs, while fellow sophomore Bree Long also contributed with 11 digs of her own. Callie Chamulak handed out 23 assists while Kekeisen dished out 15 of her own. 

Siena was led by Maddy Dunigan with seven kills as the Saints were held to .093 (32-21-118) hitting percentage in the second match. Siena was also led by Meghan Johnsson and Anna Mayer, who had 22 and 21 assists, respectively. 

Head Coach Shannon Thompson's Comments
"We came in with a set game plan, and I think the girls executed it very well. We had a few jitters early, but that was to be expected considering how long it has been since the girls played their last match. I think the main key today was the girls came out and had great energy, and most importantly had a lot of fun.

"Hannah (Nelson) did really well today. She had a lot of attempts and put the ball away when she needed to. I think because our offense is fast, the other team's blockers have to stick with certain hitters, which opens up opportunities for other girls to have success. Bree also did a great job today. She was serving and passing really well. Her serve got us back in a set in the first match, and she played her game really well this afternoon.

"Overall, I think our team did really well today. Especially in that second match, there wasn't one person who hit better than others, it was very much a team effort.

"We've been training and practicing for so long, it was great to finally get back out there. It was nice to have someone on the other side of the net that isn't your own teammate. With all the effort and hard-work that they have been putting in during practice, they were rewarded today." 

"It's exciting because you obviously want to win your first one, but it's a team effort though. Sofia and I work well together. Sofia does a great job on the bench assisting the girls and helping me with timeouts. It's a team effort and that's really what us as coaches try to preach, that it's so much more than any one person." 

Game Notes
• Canisius' win in the first match of the day was the first collegiate win as a head coach for first-year coach Shannon Thompson 
• Thompson is the first Canisius head coach to win the opening match at the helm of the Griffs since 1988
• Nelson's team-high 25 kills in the first match established a career high for the outside hitter. Her previous personal best was 22 against Rider, on October 6, 2019. 
• With today's two wins, Canisius has now won the past five matches inside the Koessler Athletic Center 
• The 2-0 start is the first time since 2011 that the Griffs have won their first two matches of the season, when they started off with defeats over Providence and La Salle 
• With her double-digit dig performance in both matches today, Bree Long now has hit the 10-plus dig mark in 30 of her 33 appearances during her college career 

Up Next
The Blue & Gold are back on the court March 14, as they travel to face off with MAAC foe Quinnipiac. The doubleheader takes place at 12 and 4 p.m., and can be streamed on GoBobcats.com.
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