Nov. 15, 2009

Box Score

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - The Marist volleyball team clinched the fourth and final seed into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship on Sunday, taking down Rider 3-1 (25-18, 25-23, 26-28, 25-10) at Alumni Gymnasium. Junior outside hitter Joanna Foss (Northville, Mich.) led all players with 17 kills and added 15 digs for a double-double.

Alexandra Schultze (Austin, Texas) added 16 kills and five digs. Emily Brosky (Whitehall, Pa.) led Marist with 20 digs.

Marist (17-12, 11-7 MAAC) got out to a 6-1 lead to open the first set, getting kills by Schultze and Lindsey Schmid (Austin, Texas) as well as a service ace by Hanna Stoiberg (Thousand Oaks, Calif.). Rider got within one at 8-7 on a block by Kristy Love, but the Red Foxes would come back with a Foss kill to make the score 9-7. Marist then won six of the next eight points to take a 15-9 lead. The Red Foxes took their largest lead of the set at 23-16 on a Schultze kill. Marist won the opening set 25-18, getting kills by Schultze and Foss to put away the set. The Red Foxes hit .289 in the opening set, holding the Broncs to a .200 mark.

Rider (3-26, 1-17 MAAC) took the first three points of the second set, prompting a Marist timeout. A Schmid kill put the Red Foxes on the board and sparked an 8-2 run for Marist, putting them ahead 8-5. Marist grew the lead to four at 17-13 on a Foss kill. The Broncs then used a Brittany Hayes kill to start a 6-2 run that tied the set at 19-19. With the set tied at 20-20, Rider got an ace from Amanda Piccolini and a block by Alex Chapla and Stephanie Nagy to take its first lead of the set, 22-20. Schmid put down a kill to put Marist back on serve at 22-21 and Stoiberg then hit three straight aces to give Marist set point at 24-22. Rider fought off one set point with a block by Chapla and Love, but Schultze put down a kill to give Marist the second set 25-23.

The Broncs definitely felt a sense of urgency, starting the third set on a 7-0 run. Marist closed to within two at 12-10 on kills by Foss and Harridsleff. A Love kill helped start a 4-1 run that put Rider ahead 16-11. Rider led 21-15 when a Foss kill started a 4-0 run for Marist that put the Red Foxes within two at 21-19. The Broncs earned a set point at 24-21 on a Love kill. Marist fought off the first set point with a Schmid kill. After a Foss kill made the score 24-23, a Rider error tied the set at 24-24. With the set tied at 25-25, Schmid hit an ace to give Marist a match point at 26-25. Rider tied the set at 26-26, then won the set 28-26 with a Briana Wallace ace and a kill by Katelyn Thompson.

The two teams traded points to start the fourth set, playing to a 3-3 tie. Marist broke away with a Harridsleff kill and Schmid ace to go ahead 6-3. The Red Foxes then got kills by Foss and Schultze to grow the lead to six at 11-5. After a Wallace kill made the score 11-6, the Red Foxes won the next eight points to go ahead 19-6. Marist grew the lead to 14 at 23-9 on a Harridsleff kill. The Red Foxes then put away the match with kills by Lindsey O'Dell (Kingwood, Texas) and Kayla Burton (Kissimmee, Fla.), winning the set 25-10 and the match 3-1. Marist hit .414 in the fourth set, hitting 13 kills with only one error in 29 attacks and held Rider to a -.029 mark.

Marist hit .252 for the match, holding the Broncs to a .123 hitting percentage. The Red Foxes held a 72-67 advantage in digs and a 12-8 edge in service aces. Love led the Broncs with 13 kills, with Thompson adding 10 kills. Libero Amy Jeary led all players with 25 kills.

The Red Foxes now enter the 2009 MAAC Volleyball Championships as the fourth seed, the first time they have qualified for the tournament in a non-Disney season. Marist will take on the regular-season champions Fairfield on Sunday, Nov. 22 at the Koessler Athletic Center on the campus of Canisius College in Buffalo. Match time is yet to be announced. Niagara and Siena are the other two teams that will play in the tournament.