Marist volleyball dismantled Siena Tuesday night, avenging an earlier conference loss to the Saints.
The Red Foxes swept Siena 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 25-20), earning their fourth consecutive win and third sweep. Eight games after falling to the Saints 3-1 on September 29th, Marist delivered one of its most complete performances of the season, showing off its offensive depth to close out its homestand on a high note.
“I think we just wanted that revenge against them,” said sophomore setter Caelyn Dumas. “We’ve been practicing really hard, like, these past few weeks, and I think our goal was just to make sure we’re peaking at the right time.”
With Siena holding a one-win advantage in conference play, Tuesday’s matchup presented an important opportunity for Marist to gain ground in the standings. The two teams remained competitive across nearly every major statistical category in the Metro, setting the stage for a closely contested battle.
The offense was a major part of tonight’s success. Marist finished with 56 kills and a dazzling .358 hitting percentage, with sophomore outside hitter Mallory Reck and senior outside hitter Sarah Dasic leading the way with 14 kills apiece.
The numbers told only part of the story. Marist received contributions throughout the lineup, and its ability to respond when Siena threatened to take control proved just as important as its offensive production.
“I don’t really care who’s on the court, who’s off the court, who subs into the match, who starts on the floor, who doesn’t,” said Marist head coach Annie DeLoid. “These last couple of weeks of our wins, I felt like they’ve been team wins for us.”
From the opening serve, the Red Foxes looked determined to control the match. Marist’s defense helped set the tone early, consistently getting touches on Siena’s attacks and limiting the Saint’s opportunities to find open space. That defensive pressure, combined with a balanced offensive attack, helped Marist take control of the opening set.
Siena failed to slow down the Marist attack, as the Red Foxes pushed forward to a 19-13 lead; the Saints finally showed some fight, climbing back to win three straight points.
Siena made life easier for the home team, giving up many points on errors as Marist ran away with the first set, winning 25-19. The Red Foxes hit .390 in the set, with Reck and Dasic each recording five kills early.
The second set brought a different challenge. Siena found its rhythm offensively, and the two teams traded points in a back-and-forth battle. The Saints grabbed their first lead at 5-4, with neither side able to create much separation. Reck continued to find success at the net, ripping a kill through the seam to put Marist ahead 10-9. Later, junior middle blocker Sarah Bumstead came through with a timely kill to tie the match at 16-16.
Marist’s balanced attack made it difficult for Siena to focus its defensive attention on one player. Reck, Dasic, Bumstead, and freshman outside hitter/middle blocker Molly Malone all contributed offensively, keeping the Saints guessing as the set reached its most crucial moments.
“Numbers don’t lie. We have four people in double-digit kills, which I think is great,” said head coach Annie DeLoid. “We’re definitely spreading the ball around. We’re not just focused on one person or, you know, one position.”
The score remained deadlocked at 23-23, forcing Marist to call a timeout as pressure mounted. Senior libero Cecilia Potter-Pessoa delivered a diving save to keep a rally alive, before Reck finished the point off to help Marist secure a 27-25 second-set victory. The hard-fought frame gave the Red Foxes a commanding two-set lead, but Siena was far from finished.
The Saints came out determined to extend the match and gave Marist its toughest test in the third set. Siena built its largest lead of the night at 17-14, putting the Red Foxes in danger of allowing the momentum to slip away.
After struggling to find its footing, Marist called a timeout, regrouped, and began chipping away at the deficit. Reck continued to deliver at the net, while Malone added a kill through the block to bring Marist within one. The defense stayed engaged, and the offense found its rhythm at exactly the right time.
Marist turned a three-point deficit into a 20-19 lead with a five-point run, forcing Siena to stop the action. The Red Foxes then kept their foot on the gas, rattling off three consecutive points to take a 23-19 lead.
Dumas put the finishing touches on the match, securing the 25-20 set win and completing the sweep.
“I think sometimes we make things bigger than they are,” said DeLoid. “You know, we get to a point where the score looks like it’s getting away from us and we do a really good job walking back in and just kind of recognizing that we can only score one point at a time.”
That composure has become increasingly important as Marist enters the final stretch of conference play. With three consecutive sweeps behind them, the Red Foxes will take their momentum on the road, traveling to face Manhattan on Friday.
Edited by August Lieberman
Graphic by Xavier Angel
Photo Via Marist Athletics
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