Marist volleyball continued its push towards the Metro Tournament Saturday, defeating Canisius in straight sets to remain tied for second place in the conference standings.
Saturday’s victory also marked Marist’s eighth consecutive win, a streak the program has not achieved since 2014.
The Red Foxes entered the matchup 11-4 in conference play, remaining locked in a tight race with Siena for second place in the standings. Despite Marist’s effort to gain separation, Siena has continued to keep pace, leaving the two teams tied heading into the final stretch of games. With just one weekend remaining in the regular season, every win becomes increasingly important as Marist looks to secure its position heading into the postseason.
The victory comes one day after Marist clinched its first Metro tournament appearance in three years with a win over Niagara. However, the Red Foxes faced a new challenge entering Saturday’s matchup, after sophomore outside hitter Mallory Reck exited Friday’s game with an apparent left knee injury.
Despite Reck’s absence, Marist received contributions throughout its lineup, showing the depth that will be important as the team heads into the postseason. Freshman outside hitter Molly Malone finished with a match-high 12 kills and an impressive .800 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Sara Dasic and junior middle blocker Sarah Bumstead each added 10 kills, while sophomore setter Caelyn Dumas recorded 39 assists to lead the Marist offense. The three double-digit kill performances helped the Red Foxes maintain a balanced attack.
The squads traded points early before the Red Foxes began to create separation midway through the first set. With the score tied at 11, Marist started to pull ahead, using a combination of kills and service pressure to take control of the set. Dumas helped close things out, recording a service ace to give the Red Foxes a 25-19 opening-set win.
Marist continued to find success in the second frame. The Red Foxes used timely offensive plays and strong blocking to keep Canisius at bay. Dasic placed a kill just beyond the Canisius defense to give Marist a 9-7 lead, before later teaming up with Bumstead for a block to extend the advantage to 11-8.
Freshman outside hitter Heidi Chambers also made her presence felt at the net, delivering a block that rolled off a Canisius player to put Marist ahead 19-14. The Golden Griffins continued to fight back, but the Red Foxes closed the set 25-22.
The third set was all Marist. Canisius redshirt junior outside hitter Julia Lenik briefly tied the set at seven, but Marist responded with a strong offensive stretch to regain control.
Malone continued to lead the way offensively, finding an opening in the back corner for her 11th kill of the match to give Marist a 16-11 advantage. The Red Foxes continued to build their lead, forcing Canisius to burn its final timeout while trailing 21-12. Marist closed out the set with a 25-16 win, completing its second sweep of the Golden Griffins this season.
Marist will return to action next Friday against Quinnipiac, as they look to maintain their position near the top of Metro heading into the last weekend of regular season play.
Edited by August Lieberman
Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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