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Madi Cowan hits a ball vs Rider in a 3-2 win at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, N.Y. on Friday, October 17th 2025.
Lucas Dembski
2
Rider Rider 7-11,5-3 MAAC
3
Winner Canisius Canis 7-11,5-3 MAAC
Rider Rider
7-11,5-3 MAAC
2
Final
3
Canisius Canis
7-11,5-3 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Rider Rider 16 21 25 25 11 (2)
Canisius Canis 25 25 19 22 15 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Earns Five-Set Win Over Rider

Canisius freshman Madi Cowan and redshirt sophomore Julia Lenik combined for 32 kills on the night, including six in the final frame, as the Golden Griffins scored a five-set victory over Rider in MAAC volleyball action Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
Canisius won the match 3-2 by set scores of 25-16, 25-21, 19-25, 22-25, 15-11. The Griffs improved to 7-11 overall and 5-3 in league play with their third-straight win, while Rider slipped to 7-11 overall and 5-3 with its third loss in its last four outings.
 
In the fifth set, Cowan and Lenik teamed up to produce the first five Canisius kills of the frame to help push the Griffs to a 10-6 lead. Rider was able to trim the Canisius lead to 13-11 after an attack error by the Blue and Gold, but one final kill from Cowan and a block assist combination by senior Ella Bourque and junior Kalia Reisma sealed the set win and the match victory for the home team.
 
Cowan finished the contest with a match-high 19 kills, while Lenik was good for 13 kills. Sophomore Emma Isroff added nine kills and 12 digs to the winning effort, while Reisma contributed eight kills on 12 swings for a .667 hitting percentage. Senior Bella Mosquera chipped in seven kills, four aces, four digs, three solo blocks and a block assist as well, as the Griffs improved to 3-1 on the year at home in league play.
 
For Rider, Kiannisha Santiago recorded 16 kills and five digs, while teammate Carley McAleavey added 13 kills, a solo block and three block assists. For the match, the Broncs hit .225 as a team, but committed 12 service errors against just four service aces.
 
Canisius jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the match after taking the first two sets. In the second set, Canisius hit .385 as a team and Cowan was good for seven kills. Rider battled back after the intermission and forced a fifth set by taking the third and fourth frames. In the fourth set, Canisius trailed 24-19 late, but the Griffs battled back with three-straight points to make the score 24-22. On the Broncs' third set-point, Erynn Gotsch's kill, one of her 10 on the night, sealed the 25-22 victory to push the contest to a fifth and deciding set.
 
Bourque was good for a match-high 44 assists in the win and junior libero Brenda Reynaga added a match-high 17 digs to go with five assists and two service aces.


 
MATCH NOTES
• Canisius and Rider met for the 51st time in series history on Friday. The Griffs lead the series 34-17.
• Dating back to 2021, five of the last eight meetings between the Griffs and the Broncs have gone to five sets. Canisius has won two of those five matches.
• Canisius is now 3-3 in five-set matches this season, with two of those three victories coming in league play.
• As a team, Canisius recorded 10 service aces in the win. The Griffs have recorded double-digit aces four times this season, with three of those occasions coming at home.
• Cowan has recorded double-digit kills nine times this season. She has recorded 10-or more kills five times in MAAC contests.
• Mosquera's four service aces on Friday are her most in a MAAC match as a Griff.
• Lenik has now recorded 10-or more kills in back-to-back matches for the first time in her college career. In the Griffs' current three-game win streak, she is averaging 3.2 kills per set.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will continue its four-match homestand on Saturday when the team plays host to Saint Peter's. That contest will start at 2 p.m., at the Koessler Athletic Center and it will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
SUPPORT THE GRIFFS
Support Canisius volleyball in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the volleyball program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.
 
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