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Canisius University Athletics

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Volleyball huddles up before starting the MAAC Championship match April 3, 2021 in Albany, N.Y.
Stockton Photo, Inc.
3
Winner Rider Rider 7-4,4-2 MAAC
1
Canisius Canis 9-4,8-3 MAAC
Winner
Rider Rider
7-4,4-2 MAAC
3
Final
1
Canisius Canis
9-4,8-3 MAAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Rider Rider 25 29 22 26 (3)
Canisius Canis 20 27 25 24 (1)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Falls to Rider in MAAC Championship Match

The Canisius volleyball fell short to Rider in the MAAC Volleyball Championship match Saturday afternoon at the Albany Capital Center in Albany, N.Y. 

The Broncs jumped out and took the first two sets over the Golden Griffins before Canisius responded and took the third set. Rider would take the final set of the afternoon to win the conference championship in four sets over the Blue and Gold (20-25, 27-29, 25-22, 24-26). 

Match Recap
The Canisius volleyball program was unable to claim the program's first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship, as the Broncs earned the MAAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. 

Rider claimed the first two sets of Saturday's contest, taking set one by the score of 25-20. The Broncs extended their lead in the match to 2-0 thanks to a 29-27 lead in set No. 2. 

In the third set, Canisius responded by jumping out to an early 7-2 edge over the Broncs in the frame. The Blue and Gold would push their lead to 18-8, the largest of the entire match for either team. Following six-consecutive Rider points, the Griffs responded and won the set, 25-22. 

The two programs traded points throughout the entire fourth set, but Rider would win its program's first conference championship, claiming the final frame 26-24. 

Canisius was led by sophomore Ella Loussia, who recorded a team-high 19 kills. As a team, Canisius hit .278 (62-18-158) for the contest. Junior Hannah Nelson registered a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs. Junior setter Ashley Kekeisen was good for 29 assists and 19 digs in the losing effort, while sophomore libero Bree Long registered a team-high 27 digs.

Rider was paced by Morgan Romano's 24 kills, as the Broncs hit at a .287 (65-16-171) clip. Anilee Sher posted a match-high 58 assists in the win for Rider, which will advance to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship next week as the MAAC's representative for the first time in program history. 

Head Coach Shannon Thompson's Comments
"We didn't start strong like we were hoping for, but we responded and played well in the second half of the match. We struggled to come out as aggressively as we would have wanted, and had to battle our way back in the match." 

"Our girls fought until the end. They did a great job of not giving up and we have had that mentality all year. Unfortunately, it didn't go our way tonight but they have a lot to be proud of with how hard they worked this season and how well we finished the year."

Match Notes 
• Canisius leads the all-time series with the Broncs, 30-13. This was the fourth postseason meeting between the two programs.
• Loussia's 19 kills are a Canisius program record in the conference's championship match. 
• With her 27 dig showing, Bree Long eclipsed the double-digit dig mark in 12 of the 13 matches this season, including eight matches with 20-plus. 
• Including Saturday, Kekeisen dished out 20-plus assists in eight matches this season for the Blue and Gold. The team was 8-2 in those contests. 
• Saturday's match was the fifth-straight double-double for Nelson. On the season, Nelson posted a double-double on seven occasions. 
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