CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Fairfield (8-8, 7-0 MAAC) at Canisius (6-9, 4-2 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018
Time: 1 p.m.
Live Video: Golden Griffin Broadcast Network
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Quinnipiac (3-12, 2-3 MAAC) at Canisius
Date: Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018
Time: 1 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN3
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Location: Koessler Athletic Center – Buffalo, N.Y.
Twitter: @GriffVolleyball l #Griffs |#MAACVB
*Records as of Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018
Coming off a weekend on the road, the Canisius volleyball team prepares to host defending MAAC champion Fairfield and Quinnipiac in a pair of contests from the Koessler Athletic Center Saturday and Sunday.
Scouting Canisius
• The Golden Griffins sit at 6-9 overall and 4-2 in MAAC play after splitting two matches on their trip to the New York City area.
• Iona dropped the Griffs, 3-1, Sept. 29 before the Blue and Gold rebounded for a 3-1 victory over Manhattan.
• Canisius is undefeated at home this season following their weekend sweep of Saint Peter’s Sept. 22 and Rider Sept. 23.
• Junior Leah Simmons has been leading the Griffs offensively. Simmons is pacing the squad with 173 kills (.266 hitting percentage). Behind Simmons is senior Sara Wesley and her 131 kills (.250 hitting percentage).
• The duo of freshman Camila Vazquez and Melina Woods continue to have stellar first seasons. Vazquez has recorded 128 kills at a .307 hitting clip, adding in a team-best 44 total blocks, while Woods has registered 125 kills of her own with a .232 hitting percentage.
• Junior Cassidy Ceriani has continued to provide a steady hand, notching 495 assists. Ceriani has also contributed offensively with 68 kills and defensively with 139 digs. Her weekend included her sixth double-double of the season and another 40-or-more assist contest.
• Senior libero Sofia Lopez Acosta has tallied 310 digs, with eight contests of 20-or-more digs this season and a 31-dig performance versus Loyola Chicago.
Griffs Among Conference Leaders
• Canisius finds itself atop the MAAC leaders in hitting percentage (.223).
• The Blue and Gold are second in the conference in kills per set (13.09) and digs per set (16.21).
• Lopez Acosta paces the MAAC with 5.54 digs per set.
• Vazquez’s .307 hitting percentage sits third among all qualified players and her 0.82 blocks per set is sixth-best in the conference.
• Ceriani is fifth with 8.84 assists per set while Simmons ranks fifth with 3.09 kills per set.
Lopez Acosta Racking Up Honors
• For the second-straight week, Lopez Acosta was named the MAAC Libero of the Week by the conference office on Tuesday.
• The senior recorded 21 digs and a pair of assists in the loss to Iona before racking up 29 digs, three assists and four service aces in the win over Manhattan.
• The Mexico native ended the weekend averaging 6.25 digs per set and has recorded 20-or-more digs in four-straight matches.
Scouting the Stags
• Fairfield is coming off a mid-week contest Oct. 3 at Siena in which the Stags dropped the Saints in three sets.
• The Stags are undefeated in conference play, putting them at the top of the MAAC standings.
• The offense has been led by Mayda Garcia’s 168 kills and a MAAC-leading 3.91 kills per set. Her 12.23 attacks per set is 13th in the nation.
• Fairfield’s main setter is the three-time reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week Alexis Rich with 577 assists and a 10.30 assists per set. That ranks second in the conference.
• On the defensive side, Taylor Rudeen leads the Stags with 253 digs, averaging 4.52 per set (third in the MAAC), while Luci Albertson’s 0.88 blocks per set ranks fourth in conference.
• Fairfield has held opponents to a MAAC-best .164 hitting percentage. The Stags also rank second in the conference in assists (11.89 per set), opponent assists (11.13 per set) and opponent kills (11.70 per set).
Canisius-Fairfield Series Notes
• Saturday’s match will mark the 44th meeting between the two long-time MAAC schools in a series that dates back to 1989.
• The Stags hold a 31-12 lead in the all-time series, with Fairfield having a 8-2 advantage in the last 10 matchups.
• Last season, the Stags swept the Griffs in both matches. The last Canisius win against Fairfield was a 3-0 sweep at home Sept. 20, 2015.
Scouting the Bobcats
• Last time out, Quinnipiac took on in-state and conference rival Fairfield in a Saturday primetime match Sept. 29, losing in five sets at Fairfield.
• The Bobcats have been powered by Morgan Sherwin’s 158 kills. Maria Pansari paces the team with 495 assists.
• Defensively, Alejandra Rodriguez has a team-best 173 digs while Kat Miller leads with 41 total blocks.
• As a team, the Bobcats have held opponents to a MAAC-low 1.25 service aces per set.
• Lydia Jones leads the conference with a .342 hitting percentage and Miller has 0.49 service aces per set, tied for first in the MAAC and 25th among Division I leaders.
Canisius-Quinnipiac Series Notes
• Sunday’s match will serve as the 15th matchup between the two MAAC foes in a series that began in 2003 and heated up in 2013 when Quinnipiac joined the MAAC.
• The Griffs hold an 11-3 edge in the all-time series, with Canisius owning an 8-3 record in the 11 conference matches since 2013.
• In 2017, the Bobcats defeated won, 3-2, at the Koessler before claiming a 3-1 victory in Hamden.
Up Next
Canisius is back on the road next weekend, heading to New Jersey for a pair of 1 p.m. matches. The Griffs play at Rider Oct. 13 and then travel to face Saint Peter’s Oct. 14.