POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Senior Kayla Burton (Kissimmee, Fla.) recorded her 200th career blocks, part of a five kill, five block effort, but it was not enough as the Marist volleyball team's rally fell short against Siena 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21, 15-17) Saturday afternoon at McCann Arena. Burton now has 202 blocks in her career, tying her for seventh all-time at Marist.
Joanna Foss (Northville, Mich.) led the Red Foxes (11-12, 8-5 MAAC) with 19 kills and 12 digs. Grace Hill (Portage, Mich.) also had a double-double performance with 11 kills and 17 digs, tying with Brooke Zywick (Garden City, Mich.) for team-high honors in that category. Hanna Stoiberg (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) had 13 kills and 23 assists and Audra Brady (Allentown, Pa.) contributed 26 assists.
The Red Foxes jumped out to an 8-3 lead at the midway point of the fifth and deciding set on three kills by Hill, two by Stoiberg and one by Marisa Gilbert (Pflugerville, Texas). Marist worked to hold match point at 14-11 following another kill by Stoiberg, but the momentum shifted to Siena. The Saints (10-12, 8-6 MAAC) recorded four straight points to surge ahead at 15-14. A block by Stoiberg and Burton evened the score for Marist, but Siena scored the final two points on a kill and a block to win the match. Gilbert, Stoiberg and Hill all had three kills in the set.
The first set was a deadlock the entire way, with neither team taking a lead of more than two points for the entire frame. A kill by the Saint's Jacqueline Skeen eventually provided the final margin of 25-23. Foss led the way for Marist with five kills and two service aces and Stoiberg had four kills.
Siena carried the momentum of the win into the second set, taking an early 8-3 lead. A kill by Hill was part of a 5-2 stretch that closed the deficit to 12-9, but that is as close as Marist would get. The Saints went on a 6-3 run to expand their lead to 18-12. A kill by Taylor Akana eventually closed the set at 20-18. Hill and Foss each had three kills in the frame.
The Saints again jumped out to an early advantage in the third set, going ahead 5-1. The Red Foxes responded with a 8-2 run, including kills by Foss, Hill and Stoiberg, to take the lead 9-7. Marist still led by two at 19-17, when a block by Burton and Foss started a 6-1 run, that also included another kill by Stoiberg and a kill and service ace by Foss, to end the set 25-18. The Red Foxes defense held the Saints to just a .062 hitting percentage in the set.
The fourth set started out much like the third ended, with the Red Foxes jumping out to an 8-3 lead. Burton, Foss, Stoiberg and Gilbert all recorded a kill in the streak and Leeann Harridsleff (Simi Valley, Calif.) had two block assists, one with Gilbert and one with Foss. The milestone block by Burton, along with Stoiberg, and a Foss and Stoiberg kill expanded Marist's lead to 14-5. The Saints could not get any closer than four points the rest of the set and the Red Foxes eventually won the frame 25-21, forcing the fifth set. Foss again led the team with six kills and Marist kept the Saints' offense to just a .030 hitting percentage.
The Red Foxes hit the road for three matches next week, starting with a 7 p.m. contest at Fairfield on Wednesday night. The team will then travel to Buffalo for matches on Saturday and Sunday at Canisius and Niagara.
