JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Marist put on an offensive clinic, slamming 52 kills in a crucial three-set victory over Saint Peter’s.
In an unbelievably convoluted five-team race for the MAAC’s final two playoff spots, Marist controlled what they needed to maintain on Friday night. The Red Foxes took care of the Peacocks, who entered the match tied for last place in the conference with Manhattan, in straight sets.
“Our goal was to go in and play hard regardless of where it would leave us in the standings,” said freshman setter Caelyn Dumas.
There is no “sure thing” in MAAC volleyball, as evident in their last outing. Then-1-14-Manhattan stunned Marist, sweeping the Red Foxes in a match that would have kept them in control of their own destiny.
“Last week was very disappointing,” said freshman outside hitter Mallory Reck, who tied her career high with 16 kills. “We wanted to come out here and work hard and prove ourselves after that.”
Junior outside hitter Sara Dasic also put up a stellar night, ripping 14 kills on only 27 swings, three of them coming late in the third set as the Red Foxes pulled away.
“I thought they came out and hit the ball hard, with a lot of pace,” said head coach Sean Byron.
The Red Foxes converted on their first four swings, and their hitters stayed hot en route to a 14-8 lead. Marist held a dominant .467 hitting percentage, but looked just as good on defense.
The Red Foxes limited Saint Peter’s to just a -.067 hitting percentage. Though they had just two blocks, Marist consistently got its hands all over the Peacocks’ swings, either keeping the ball on the Saint Peter’s side or softening the attack for Marist’s passers.
The theme stayed the same for the duration of the set, as the Peacocks never worked their way back into it. Marist, led by Dasic’s five kills, hit .433 on the set. Right-side hitter Eleana Koute added three of her own on three swings, a perfect set for the freshman; she also had two block assists.
Marist cooled off on offense while Saint Peter’s found more of a rhythm on their side of the net, staging a far more competitive set in the second frame – at least for the first half of it.
While tied at 11, Marist ran away with the set thanks to a blistering offensive attack. The Red Foxes hammered eight straight kills: five from Reck, two from sophomore middle blocker Sarah Bumstead and one from freshman right-side hitter Ava Lanzetta.
Saint Peter’s did not even cut the deficit below five until a late-set seven-point scoring streak kept the Peacocks alive while Marist remained frozen at set point. An ace from sophomore outside hitter Valeria Munoz Pagan on Reck gave Saint Peter’s its first set point opportunity, but she sailed the ensuing serve out of bounds.
“When it got tied, we realized we just needed to calm down,” said Reck. “It was 0-0 again, [we went] back to our basics, remembered our technique and just relied on that.”
The Peacocks battled off two more set points before back-to-back Reck kills finally ended the rollercoaster of a set. She had an unthinkable 11 kills in the set, and came through when the Red Foxes desperately needed her to, as they averted disaster and took a 2-0 lead in the match.
Marist came out of the break angry, nailing kills on five of the first six points in the set. Holding a 12-7 lead, 11 of the Red Foxes’ points came on kills, as their hitters landed over half of their attempts.
While Saint Peter’s failed to figure out a solution to Marist’s thriving front row, they picked themselves up with an efficient offense of their own. The Peacocks’ first eight kills came on an impressive .300.
A 6-1 Saint Peter’s run prompted a timeout from Byron as they suddenly crawled within a point at 16-15. They scored two straight out of the timeout to take the lead, but kills from Reck and Dasic reinstated the Red Foxes’ lead.
Marist delivered the knockout blow with junior libero Claudia Kasperski at the service line; with the score knotted at 18, the Red Foxes rattled off seven straight points to win the set 25-18, powered by three kills from Dasic.
As the dust settles on an eventful day in MAAC volleyball, the Red Foxes head into the final day of the season with a real shot at making the playoffs, after a whirlwind of a regular season.
With five teams still in the mix for the final two spots, the Red Foxes are not in a true “win-and-in” scenario, but a victory over Rider – who has already clinched a playoff spot – would likely be enough to earn Marist a ticket to the dance.
First serve is set for 2 p.m., as each team in the MAAC plays in the afternoon. While they will be focused on the match at hand against the Broncs, the rest of the conference’s games will dictate their playoff status.
Edited by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Marist Athletics
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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