Rider weathered the storm after an impressive first set victory by Marist; the Broncs won three straight to spoil the Red Foxes’ home opener at McCann Arena.
“The energy was great, especially at the start,” said graduate student setter Claire Lewis, playing in her first home game since the 2023 season. “It’s so fun being out there with everyone, having our family and friends here supporting us.”
Marist had a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead near the end of the second set, which was tied at 23, but the Broncs persevered to even the match at one apiece, then ultimately win, 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-19).
Kiannisha Santiago powered the Broncs on Friday night on a massive workload; the senior opposite hitter took 46 swings and converted on half of them for 23 kills.
“They set Santiago almost exclusively,” said Marist head coach Sean Byron. “We were trying to send two blockers at her, but she was still getting clear looks at the floor.”
Marist had two of their own outside hitters finish in double-digit kills, with junior Sara Dasic leading the way with 15, and freshman Mallory Reck following close behind with 13. Both setters in their 6-2 offense, Lewis and freshman Caelyn Dumas each tallied 22 assists, spreading the ball around each pin – sophomores Taylor Miller and Eden Bristow combined for 12 kills.
The Red Foxes also got a big contribution out of the middle, with sophomore middle blocker Sarah Bumstead landing a kill on each of her first six swings – she finished her night with seven.
Reck started hot in her McCann Arena debut. Graduate student setter Claire Lewis sent Marist’s first ball out of serve receive her way, and Reck deposited it for a kill. She landed a kill on three of her first attempts as Marist doubled up on Rider early, leading 12-6.
“It was really fun to play here, it was good to be at home,” she said.
Santiago kept the Broncs in it, going four-for-four on her first swings. Short points filled the first set, as each side’s block was all or nothing; either an untouched kill or a stuff block for a point kept each rally brief.
Marist led for the duration of the first set after jumping to a 3-0 lead. They passed well in serve receive, preventing the Broncs from putting together lengthy runs to bring the deficit within reach. Marist served strongly too, with four aces in the first set – two coming from Lewis.
The Red Foxes fired 11 kills on offense with a .348 hitting percentage, tied for their most effective mark on the season. Sophomore middle blocker Sarah Bumstead put the set to bed with back-to-back kills, putting the Red Foxes up one after their 25-18 victory.
Rider halted Marist’s momentum and quieted the crowd early in the second, jumping out to a 7-2 advantage to prompt a Byron timeout. Junior setter Makenna Mason continued to feed Santiago wherever she went, and Marist still had no answer.
Santiago had five kills in the set as her Broncs led 20-16. Dasic slammed three consecutive kills to tie the set at 20, but Santiago swung out of the middle to push Rider back up. She ended the set at the line with two topspin serves; the first forced an errant pass that led to a Miller error, and the second painted the back line for an untouched ace, ending the set, 25-23.
Santiago continued applying pressure from the service line, serving consecutive aces amidst a five-point run. Miller helped bring the Red Foxes back in it with some strong kills and good block touches, but the Broncs’ offense did not let up, specifically Santiago and freshman outside hitter Erynn Gotsch.
Gotsch’s four third-set kills got her into double digits on the night; with Marist centering its attention on stopping Santiago, it allowed Rider to get Gotsch an abundance of swings in favorable blocking matchups.
Rider built off its impressive 25-16 victory by swiftly taking a 4-1 lead to start the fourth. Marist countered with a 4-1 of its own to tie the score, then take the lead on a Dasic kill that she snuck through the block using her left hand.
The Broncs ran away with it midway through the set, as their blockers controlled the Red Foxes’ hitters, holding the Marist offense, which put up three very strong sets, to a hitting percentage hovering around .100 for most of the set.
Rider staged an 8-0 run after trailing 11-10 to take a commanding lead. Marist chipped away, but the effort proved to be in vain – Rider eventually won, 25-19.
Up next is the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, who Marist hosts on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Red Foxes aim to quickly turn the page and get into the win column to even their MAAC record.
“We were talking in the locker room about how every point matters, every set matters,” Lewis said. “We have to come out tomorrow and sweep them.”
Edited by Hayden Shapiro
Graphic by Xavier Angel
Photo by Gene Barbieri
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