POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Grace Hill (Portage, Mich.) had a match-high 15 kills and 14 digs leading the Marist (11-11, 8-4 MAAC)volleyball team to their third win in a row, 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21) over Rider (4-20, 2-10 MAAC) in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) match at McCann Arena.
Joanna Foss (Northville, Mich.) had 11 kills and nine digs and Hanna Stoiberg (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) nearly had a triple-double, finishing with nine kills, 27 assists and 12 digs. Audra Brady (Allentown, Pa.) had 16 assists and Brooke Zywick (Garden City, Mich.) finished with 16 digs.
A block by Hill and Gilbert and another Stoiberg service ace gave Marist a quick 2-0 lead in the first set. Rider however would work to take the lead at 7-6 with a 4-0 run. Kills by Foss, Burton and Stoiberg and a Stoiberg/Burton block fueled Marist run of five consecutive points to retake the lead at 11-7. After three straight points by the Broncs, the Red Foxes went on another run, this one taking six of eight points, to expand the lead to 16-12. Hill had two kills in the stretch and Foss, Burton and Stoiberg each had one. Marist put the set away a few points later with an impressive 8-0 streak that included kills by Burton, Harridsleff and Foss, a service ace by Zywick and a block by Burton and Foss. Another kill by Foss eventually finished the set 25-17. Foss and Burton each had four kills and two blocks in the frame and the Red Foxes hit .284 as a team.
Marist went on another run early in the second set with Zywick serving, this one scoring four straight, to take a 5-3 lead. Zywick had another ace and Foss added a kill in the run. The Red Foxes expanded that lead to 7-4 on a Harridsleff kill and Brady service ace, but Rider went on a streak of their own, scoring six consecutive points, and seven of eight to take a 10-8 lead. Marist worked to tie the score at 12 on a Harrdisleff kill, but the Broncs again responded, this time with three straight points. Hill recorded three straight kills to bring Marist within one at 22-21, but Rider scored the last three points to take the set 25-21.
The Red Foxes had to fight back in the third set, as the Broncs came out aggressive. A kill by Marisa Gilbert (Pflugerville, Texas) tied the score at 11 and started a 5-1 run that gave Marist a 15-12 lead. Gilbert and Leeann Harridsleff (Simi Valley, Calif.) combined for a block and Foss had two kills in the run. Rider closed within one with two straight points, but the Red Foxes with three consecutive of their own, including a block by Stoiberg and Kayla Burton (Kissimmee, Fla.) and a service ace by Brady, to push the lead back to four at 18-14. A kill by Hill and a Stoiberg service ace eventually pushed the lead to 23-18 and back-to-back Rider errors gave the set to Marist.
The score in the fourth set went back-and-forth until Marist scored four straight to break a 14-14 tie. Hill had two kills and Stoiberg added another in the run. Rider worked to cut the lead to one at 19-18, but three straight points, including two more kills by Hill, cushioned the lead to 22-18. Marist scored three of the last four, on a Gilbert kill and two Rider errors, to win the set 25-21 and the match. Hill more than doubled all other players with seven kills in the set and the Red Foxes held Rider to just a .097 hitting percentage.
The Red Foxes remain home next weekend for a single match against Siena on Saturday. The match is slated to start at 2 p.m.
