Volleyball falls in five sets to Siena

Box Score In a five-set showdown in Loudonville, N.Y., the Canisius volleyball team fell to Siena by a final score of 3-2. With the loss, the Golden Griffins moved to 9-10 overall and 7-3 in MAAC play while the Saints improved to 9-11 on the season and 7-3 in conference action.

Siena won the match with scores of 23-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-23, and 15-10.

Down by as much as five in the first set, Canisius fought back to tie the match at 20-all with junior right side Alexa Albinson spurring the run with a pair of kills. Senior libero Bree Long would get the Griffs to set point with a service ace, setting up senior outside hitter Ella Loussia to win the first set, 25-23. Long was not the only player thriving from the service line for Canisius as the Griffs tallied four service aces in the first set compared to Siena's zero.

The Saints took the second set, 25-22, using 4-0 run late in the frame to help level the match at 1-1. While the Griffs totaled a hitting percentage of .140, the Saints hit at a much higher clip of .196.

Down 15-13 at the media break of the third set, Canisius erupted for an 8-1 stretch, led by kills from sophomore outside hitter Taylor Baldwin and multiple attack errors from the Saints, to take a 21-16 lead. The Saints would get a score back, but sophomore outside hitter Kara Zaucha closed out the set with a kill to take the 25-18 victory and 2-1 match lead.

Siena kept the fourth set close with the Griffs, tying the match at 20-all after being down by as much as five. The Saints used a quick 3-0 spurt, fueled by two kills from Sara Wagner and a service ace, to clinch the 25-23 comeback victory and force a fifth set.

With the score tied at 9-9 in the fifth set, The Saints took advantage of a Canisius service error and consecutive kills by Hailey Hinkel to ignite a 6-1 stretch that would close out the set, giving Siena both the set and the match.

Baldwin and Zaucha paced the Griffs with 18 kills apiece while freshman setter Ella Bourque nabbed 48 assists. Baldwin, Zaucha, and Bourque's totals all were match highs as well. The Griffs hit at a clip of .134 (61-34-201) for the match.

Wagner had a team-high 17 kills for Siena while Claire Isaksen totaled 45 assists. As a team, the Saints hit at .184 (63-28-190).

Match Notes
• This was the first ever meeting between head coach Tom Hanna and Siena head coach Simone Asque.
• The Griffs have now faced every MAAC opponent with a first-year head coach once (Iona, Siena, Manhattan, Niagara), going 2-2 with wins against Manhattan and Niagara and losses against Iona and Siena.
• After a six-match streak of matches under two hours, the Griffs last two matches have both gone above two hours.
• Freshman defensive specialist Alyssa Rich established a career high in digs on Sunday with 14.

Up Next
The Blue and Gold are back on the road next week when they head to Connecticut to face Quinnipiac for the second time this year on Oct. 22.

Support Your Griffs
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Players Mentioned

#4 Bree Long: L; 5' 5"; Senior; High Street Volleyball Club

#2 Ella Loussia: OH; 6' 1"; Senior; Team Detroit Volleyball Club

#11 Kara Zaucha: OH; 5' 10"; Sophomore; NOVA Juniors

#6 Ella Bourque: S; 5' 11"; Freshman; Sports Performance Volleyball Club

#8 Taylor Baldwin: OH; 5' 10"; Sophomore; Premier Volleyball Academy

#10 Alyssa Rich: L; 5' 5"; Freshman; Volleyfx

#13 Alexa Albinson: RS; 6' 3"; Junior; St. Pete Volleyball Club

Players Mentioned

#4 Bree Long
: 5' 5"; Senior; High Street Volleyball Club
: L

#2 Ella Loussia
: 6' 1"; Senior; Team Detroit Volleyball Club
: OH

#11 Kara Zaucha
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; NOVA Juniors
: OH

#6 Ella Bourque
: 5' 11"; Freshman; Sports Performance Volleyball Club
: S

#8 Taylor Baldwin
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; Premier Volleyball Academy
: OH

#10 Alyssa Rich
: 5' 5"; Freshman; Volleyfx
: L

#13 Alexa Albinson
: 6' 3"; Junior; St. Pete Volleyball Club
: RS