Aside from a late second-set hiccup, the Red Foxes put together an all-around impressive performance in a key 3-1 victory against Sacred Heart – a win that keeps their playoff hopes alive.
Both the Pioneers and Red Foxes entered Friday night at 5-7 in MAAC conference play, one game back of Siena for the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament. The Saints lost to Fairfield, 3-1, leaving the Red Foxes currently tied with Siena for sixth in the standings.
“We came in knowing that we had to win this,” said sophomore middle blocker Sarah Bumstead. “If we didn’t win this, we really didn’t have a shot of making it to the tournament.”
Bumstead scored 11 kills from the middle, doing so on a stellar .421 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Sara Dasic led Marist on the night with 17 kills, and freshman outside hitter Mallory Reck also finished in double digits with 13.
Marist’s offense came out of the gates on fire; the Red Fox hitters landed eight kills on their first 10 swings to take a quick 15-10 lead at the media timeout. Reck especially started hot, converting on her first three swings.
“I just thought our pace was better,” said head coach Sean Byron. “Our intent to kill the ball was better tonight than it’s been in the last three matches.”
However, tough serves from sophomore libero Miliani Villarreal threw Marist out of system, and its offense went cold. The Pioneers won five points in a row to even the score at 15.
Neither side gained much distance on the scoreboard from there until Dasic gave the Red Foxes enough breathing room to help them close out the set. Marist blocked a Pioneer attack, then followed it up with an ace.
Marist never relinquished the lead, thanks in large part to spirited hustle on defense to keep rallies alive; graduate student setter Claire Lewis, freshman right-side hitter Ava Lanzetta and junior libero CC Potter-Pessoa each took turns tracking down balls destined to hit the Red Foxes’ side of the floor. Dasic put the finishing touch on the set, tooling the Sacred Heart block to give Marist a 25-22 win.
“I think a lot of us get really excited when we see those points and see them fighting for points,” said Bumstead. “It gives you more energy when you’re actually watching them, too.”
Though they cooled off after the unsustainable start to start the next set, the Red Foxes hit a phenomenal .440 in the first and only recorded three attack errors.
Sacred Heart and Marist traded miniature scoring streaks before the Red Foxes momentarily pulled away with a 6-1 streak to go up 16-11, prompting head coach Rob Machan to use the Pioneers’ last timeout just past the midway point of the set.
The Pioneers inched back to cut the deficit to one at 21-20, but a clutch kill from Reck ended a 3-0 Sacred Heart run. The Red Foxes won the next two rallies to reach set point, but four straight Sacred Heart scores, culminating in a kill from junior outside hitter Lauren Hubert, knotted it up at 24.
From there, Hubert and junior middle hitter Emily Sawyer stuffed an attempt from Dasic, and sophomore setter/defensive specialist Brielle Laferriere ended the set with an ace that split the gap between Dasic and Reck – the Pioneers won the last five points of the set, three of them to fight off set point.
After Sacred Heart stole the second set, the Red Foxes scored seven of the first 10 points in the third to stake an early advantage. Sacred Heart worked within one point on numerous occasions, but each time Marist stifled the Pioneers’ run with timely kills.
Marist kept Sacred Heart at bay, eventually pulling away to win 25-20. Dasic dominated the set, leading a high-powered offensive effort. The outside hitter ripped five kills as the Red Foxes hit .371 as a team, taking a much-needed 2-1 lead in the match.
Both sides split the first 18 points of the fourth set; from there, Marist pulled away, much like they did in the third set. Sacred Heart continued to put together runs to get within striking distance, but every time they threatened, Marist had an answer. They ran away with the set, winning 25-17 to clinch the 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 25-20, 25-17) victory.
Next, Marist has a date with first-place Fairfield, a daunting task. Last time the Red Foxes and Stags faced off, Fairfield dispatched Marist in three quick sets. Saturday afternoon’s match also serves as Marist’s senior day, where the Red Foxes will honor Lewis and redshirt junior middle blocker Mikayla Keefer.
Edited by Mike Duda
Graphic by Gene Barbieri
Photo by Xavier Angel
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