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Alyssa Rich waits for Rider to serve during the first set
Ken Morey
3
Winner Rider Rider 9-15,8-7 MAAC
2
Canisius Canis 8-15,6-9 MAAC
Winner
Rider Rider
9-15,8-7 MAAC
3
Final
2
Canisius Canis
8-15,6-9 MAAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Rider Rider 19 25 17 25 15 (3)
Canisius Canis 25 19 25 20 12 (2)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Breaks Multiple Program Records in Loss to Rider

Despite a program record 21 service aces, including a school record seven by sophomore Alyssa Rich, the Canisius volleyball team came up short, falling to Rider 3-2 in a MAAC contest Saturday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center.

The Golden Griffins' 21 service aces on Saturday topped the previous school record for aces in a five-set match, set previously on Sept. 24, 1997 when the Blue and Gold recorded 18 aces against Niagara. Rich's seven aces also bested the program's previous record for aces by a player in a five-set contest. Prior to Saturday, three former Griffs had six aces to their credit in a five-set affair, with the most recent occasion coming Oct. 25, 1998 when Somer Sharpstone had six service aces against Rider.
 
Four different Rider players recorded double-digits in the kills column for the visiting Broncs, who moved to 9-15 overall and 8-7 in MAAC play with the five-set victory. Canisius saw its two-match win streak come to an end with the loss, as the Griffs slipped to 8-15 overall and 6-9 in conference action.

Four Canisius players recorded 10-or more kills in the match, led by junior Kara Zaucha, who put down a match-high 14 on the day. She also recorded 11 digs, three block assists and two service aces. Freshman Lauren Hubert added 12 kills, while graduate student Ella Loussia was good for 11 kills, 10 digs and four aces. Freshman Bella Mosquera had 10 kills and four block assists for the Griffs, while sophomore Ella Bourque registered a match-high 43 assists. Junior libero Jillian Hanna was credited with 19 digs to go along with six service aces in the losing effort, making her one of five Canisius players to score multiple service aces on the day.
 
Kiannisha Santiago and Paige Giehtbrock led Rider with 12 kills, each, while Giehtbrock added 18 digs for a double-double performance. Keegan O'Connor led the Broncs with 23 digs and teammate Carley McAleavey posted five total blocks.
 
Canisius controlled the first set from the opening whistle, going on a 6-2 run to begin the contest, with Rich opening the match with her first aces of the day. Even with a short Broncs run that cut the Griffs' lead to one at 6-5, the Blue and Gold offense did not slow down, using multiple scoring runs to take the first frame, 25-19, and a 1-0 match lead. During the first set, Canisius recorded a match-best .300 team hitting percentage.
 
The Broncs responded to win the second set 25-19, thanks in large part to a .229 team hitting percentage. With the match tied at 1-1, the Griffs trailed 4-2 in the early in third frame, but a kill by Zaucha ignited a 6-0 Canisius run. Later in the set, a 9-3 scoring spurt for the Blue and Gold would put the Griffs up eight at 20-12. Rider fought back late in that frame, but Canisius scored three of the set's final four points to record the 25-17 set victory while taking a 2-1 lead in the match. Canisius' last two points in that set victory came off kills by Zaucha and Hubert.
 
In a tightly contested fourth set, Canisius got within a point at 19-18 after Loussia was credited with a kill. However, Rider would go on to win that frame 25-20 and force a fifth set, as the Broncs scored six of the stanza's final eight points, capped by a kill by Molly Rohde.
 
In the fifth set, Rider jumped out to an early 8-3 lead. After the teams switched sides of the floor, Canisius rallied back with three-straight points to make the score 8-6 in favor of the Broncs. Rider's lead never moved past four points down the stretch, however, the Broncs ended up scoring the 3-2 match win after the Griffs were charged with a service error to finalize the fifth-set score at 15-12.
 
 
 POSTMATCH COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH TOM HANNA:
   
MATCH NOTES:
• Saturday was the 49th all-time meeting between these two schools in volleyball. Canisius leads the all-time series 33-16.
• Both of the meetings between the Griffs and the Broncs this season went to five sets, with each team winning 3-2 on the road. This marks the second time in the last three seasons where both meetings between Canisius and Rider during the regular season went to five sets, but in 2021, Rider won both of those matches.
• Dating back to last weekend's win at Marist, the Griffs have been credited with 36 service aces in the last nine sets played. Canisius now ranks in the top-50 nationally with its 164 total aces on the year.
• Canisius leads the MAAC and ranks in the top-20 nationally in service aces per set at 1.91 per set.
• The other two former Griffs with six service aces to their credit in a five-set match are Beth Fadel (Oct. 12, 1994 vs. Niagara) and Michele Green (Oct. 16, 1993 vs. Marist).
• Zaucha needs three more kills to reach 575 for her career.

UP NEXT:
The Griffs will close out the home portion of their 2023 schedule on Sunday when the team plays host to Saint Peter's on Senior Day. The match is set to start at noon, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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