Marist volleyball defeated Rider 3-0 Friday night to open conference play, taking the first two sets comfortably before holding off a late Rider push to win the third, 25-23.
Its Marist’s second-straight win and marks their first non-tournament win streak of the season, as well as their first conference opener victory since 2023.
The sweep comes nearly a year after the Broncs ended Marist’s season with a 3-0 victory in last year’s regular-season finale, eliminating the Red Foxes from playoff contention.
The Red Foxes wasted little time setting the tone.
Marist quickly established a lead in the first set, using strong serving and a balanced attack to keep Rider from settling into the match. Senior outside hitter Sara Dasic and sophomore outside hitter Mallory Reck contributed early, while sophomore setter Caelyn Dumas continued to spread the offense around the court.
Marist never let Rider make a serious run, closing out the first set 25-11.
The second set started differently, with Rider grabbing the early momentum. However, Marist answered almost immediately and once the Red Foxes found their rhythm, they never looked back.
Dumas helped shift the momentum with consecutive aces, while Reck continued to pressure Rider from the service line and at the net. Senior libero Claudia Kasperski added another run from behind the line, and Marist carried that momentum through the rest of the set.
A kill from junior outside/rightside hitter Taylor Miller ended the second frame and put Marist one set away from the sweep.
Then Rider made Marist work for it.
The Broncs opened the third set on an 8-0 run, forcing Marist into an early timeout. For the first time all night, Rider had control of the match, but Marist slowly chipped away at the deficit.
Reck helped spark the response with three straight aces, and the Red Foxes worked their way back into the set. Senior rightside hitter Trinity Woods, Miller, and freshman middle blocker Molly Malone added kills as Marist continued to close the gap.
What had once looked like a runaway third set from Rider turned into a back-and-forth battle.
Rider continued to hold the advantage, but Marist kept answering. With the Red Foxes within one, Woods came through with a kill to take the lead.
At 24-23 Marist had a chance to finish what it had started.
The Red Foxes took the final point, capitalizing on a Bronc’s error to win the set 25-23 and complete the sweep.
Marist will look to carry its momentum into Saturday, when they return to the court at 1 p.m. to face Saint Peter’s.
Edited by August Lieberman
Graphic by Xavier Angel
Photo via Marist Athletics
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