The Marist women’s volleyball team earned their fourth straight victory on Sunday afternoon over the Saint Peter’s Peacocks in straight sets. With that win, the Red Foxes are now second in the MAAC with a 11-4 conference record.
It was a special day for McKinley Fox, Morgan Owens, Madelyn Waumans, and Skylar Harrison, as the seniors were celebrated through a pre-game ceremony at centre court.
“13 out of our 18 kids are new to college volleyball, and the four of them have been really great in terms of mentoring them along and what it means to be a Division 1 athlete,” head coach Sean Bryon said.
The Red Foxes got off to a quick start in the opening set, taking eight of the first 10 points to gain an early six-point advantage. Saint Peter’s called two timeouts in a matter of minutes in order to stop the run, but were unable to do so. Marist would take five of the last seven points to win the opening set 25-11. The home team did an excellent job at attacking the net in first, holding a 13-5 advantage in kills.
It was more of the same to begin the second, as Marist scored the first seven points of the set to really open things up. That run set the tone for the Red Foxes, making it far more difficult for the Peacocks to gain any real momentum in the set. Saint Peter’s finished the set on a 9-6 run, but the deficit was too large to overcome. Marist took the second set 25-17, led by their 17-10 advantage in kills.
On the brink of defeat, Saint Peter’s came out with much more energy to begin the third. Early on, the score was tied at six. Marist immediately took control, going on a 7-2 before the Peacocks called a timeout. Saint Peter’s cut the deficit to as low as five, but the Red Foxes continued to attack the net. Marist would take five of the final eight points to take the set 25-18. The third was far more competitive, as there were six ties and two lead changes in the final set of the match.
Jordan Newblatt, Sally Tietjen, and Sasha Van der Merwe all had at least eight kills, combining for a total of 31. Setter/right side Anne Mahler had a very productive afternoon for the Red Foxes. The sophomore from Flemington, New Jersey had a team-high 24 assists, along with contributing three digs and one kill. And in her final match at McCann Arena, Morgan Owens had a team-high 21 digs.
“This has probably been my favorite season. Everyone has come together and worked really hard,” Owens said.
Marist returns to play on November 6th at 1 p.m., when they face the Quinnipiac Bobcats at the Burt Kahn Court in Hamden, Connecticut. The Red Foxes won the previous matchup between these teams on September 29th, taking the match in four sets. Marist is 16-5 against Quinnipiac all-time, including an eight-match win streak that stretched from 2007-2015.
Edited by Connor Kurpat
Photo from Marist Athletics