Against all odds, the Red Foxes are over .500 – not on the season, but if you ask them, that’s not what matters.
Marist has forgotten about the 3-25 record in 2024 (including the 3-15 MAAC record that came along with it) and their 1-10 start to 2025; The Red Foxes have won two of their first three conference games on the season following a clean sweep of Siena on Tuesday night at McCann Arena.
The Saints held the lead for only three points throughout the match, which Marist won 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-14). The Red Foxes controlled play with strong serving, blocking and most of all, hitting.
No one Red Fox stood out above the rest; seven players combined for Marist’s 44 kills, all of whom did so with a hitting percentage above .270. Junior outside hitter Sara Dasic reached double digits with 11 kills on 19 swings – and no errors.
“Scouting really helped a lot,” said Dasic. “We knew what their team was blocking and where they were lining up for us, so we knew where our open shots were.”
“We’ve been focusing on their scouting report for the last couple of days, so we came in and we knew what to do,” added junior libero CC Potter-Pessoa.
Freshmen hitters, Ava Lanzetta, Mallory Reck and Eleana Koute all played big roles in the 3-0 sweep, as the Red Foxes continue to lean on their young talent; each swung for five or more kills. Sophomore and junior middle blockers Sarah Bumstead and Mikayla Keefer both added three apiece.
“I think it’s tough to defend five hitters and six hitters, when you’ve got a lot coming at you that are firing on all cylinders,” said head coach Sean Byron.
Dasic landed a kill from the right side on the first point of the match, marking the beginning of a wire-to-wire Marist win in the opening set. The Red Foxes’ offense had everything working, as four separate players tallied multiple kills.
Reck and Dasic each had three from the outside hitter position. In the ever-changing right-side hitter spots, Byron gave Lanzetta and Koute the nod on Tuesday night. Each looked good early, combining for five kills in the set.
Siena made life easier for Marist, giving away multiple points on errors. The Saints got caught in the net three times, adding to their blocking struggles; Marist as a team swung for a .375 hitting percentage, while Siena only recorded one block.
Marist held a 9-7 lead in the second, where a lengthy service run from Claudia Kasperski put the set out of reach; the junior libero served an ace before foot-faulting to end the Red Foxes’ seven-point streak.
In addition to two blocks by the Marist front row, Koute and Dasic each slammed two kills. Potter-Pessoa also flew around the court, keeping many lengthy rallies alive; she finished the night with 10 digs and three assists.
“The adrenaline pushes you to get those balls, that doesn’t really happen in practice,” said Potter-Pessoa, on her mindset when sprawling for rally-saving touches. “My mentality during games is just ‘Go for it, all out. No matter what,’ even if people are jumping over me or I’m in the way, keeping the ball off the ground is my job.”
“I just met with the team and said, ‘That’s the best defensive effort that we’ve had in my entire tenure,’” said Byron.
The Red Foxes dominated the net front, killing 25 of 35 attempts, all while holding Siena to a .094 hitting percentage.
They picked up exactly where they left off in the third, reaching a double-digit lead as they ran away with the set. The offense took a slight step back, hitting a still impressive .344. Marist instead made their mark at the service line, finishing the set with four aces – two from Dasic and one from both freshman setter Caelyn Dumas and junior outside hitter Laney Sneva.
The packed schedule continues for the Red Foxes, who played on Sept. 26 and 27. They had two days without a match, before taking care of Siena in three quick sets. Marist has another weekend back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, starting with Manhattan.
“I’m going to bed early, I gotta get ready for practice tomorrow,” Potter-Pessoa laughed. “Now, since we’re winning and we’re excited, we’re very determined and motivated. We want to play those games. We want to come out here and work hard.”
The Jaspers are 0-3 in the young MAAC season, presenting the Red Foxes with a great opportunity to move to 3-1, matching their number of conference wins last year after just four games.
Edited by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Michael Lacroix-Fralish
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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