Four Canisius players recorded 10-or more kills, led by redshirt-junior Julia Lenik's team-high 13, as the host Golden Griffins scored a 3-1 victory over Merrimack in Metro Conference volleyball action Saturday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center.
The win snapped the Griffs' five-match losing skid and moved the team to 3-16 overall and 2-7 in league play, while the Warriors dropped to 2-20 overall and 2-7 in Metro action. Canisius won the match by set scores of 25-17, 24-26, 25-21, 25-23.
Lenik added nine digs and an assist to her final stat line, while seniors Azoria Davis and Hannah Kos and junior Emma Isroff recorded 10 kills, apiece in the victory. Isroff recorded a career-high eight service aces on the day, while Davis and Kos each registered three block assists in the win. As a team, Canisius had 22 block assists, with a career-high nine of those coming from redshirt-freshman McKenna Corcoran.
Merrimack junior Mckenna Shotwell tallied 11 kills, six digs and two service aces in the loss for Merrimack, which has now dropped two straight after winning a pair of matches last weekend. Senior libero Ella Maldonado pitched in 19 kills for Merrimack in the loss.
In the first set, Davis led the way for Canisius with a .429 hitting percentage and four kills to help the Griffs to the early 1-0 lead in the match. With the score tied at 7-7, the Blue and Gold capitalized on three-straight errors by the Warriors, giving Canisius a lead it would not give up, taking the match by a 25-17 advantage.
Canisius lost the second set, 26-24, despite holding Merrimack to a team hitting percentage of .077. Late in the second frame, Canisius held a 22-19 lead, but Merrimack battled back and scored the set victory thanks to a 7-2 run late in the frame. In that run, Shotwell put down a pair of kills senior setter Sophia DeBonis recorded a pair of aces for the Warriors, as they evened the match at 1-1 heading into intermission.
The Griffs retook control of the match winning the third set by four points, 25-21. Isroff filled out the stat-sheet in that frame, recording five kills, four digs, three block assists and two service aces. As a team, Canisius recorded 10 block assists in the third set, its largest total of the game.
The fourth and final set saw Canisius hit a match high .333, with 14 kills on 30 swings. Four Griffs recorded three kills apiece in a balanced attack to down Merrimack 25-23 to take the match in four sets. Senior libero Brenda Reynaga recorded 23 digs in the victory, while sophomore setter Anna Rich was credited with 22 assists.
GAME NOTES
• Canisius moved to 3-1 all-time against Merrimack with the win.
• As a team Canisius recorded its highest kill total in a four-set match this season with 53 kills.
• In the win, Canisius tallied 65 digs, the highest total in four-sets this season, and second highest in all matches.
• The Griffs have recorded 20-or more block assists as a team in each of the last three contests.
• Reynaga has recorded 20-plus digs in two of her last three matches.
• Rich reached the 20-assists mark for the fifth time this season.
UP NEXT
Canisius returns to the road next weekend for a pair of Metro Conference matches, starting Oct. 23 at Marist. That match will start at 11 a.m.
MORE THAN A GAME
Support the Canisius volleyball team 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.
Like Canisius Athletics on Facebook
Follow @GoGriffs and @GriffVolleyball on X
Follow @GoGriffs and @GriffVolleyball on Instagram
