CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Canisius (8-9, 6-2 MAAC) at Rider (8-8, 4-4 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Alumni Gymnasium – Lawrenceville, N.J.
Live Video: BroncVision
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Canisius at Saint Peter’s (5-17, 2-6 MAAC)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Yanitelli Center – Jersey City, N.J.
Live Video: YouTube
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Twitter: @GriffVolleyball l #Griffs |#MAACVB
*Records as of Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018
Coming off a big weekend that saw the team improve to 4-0 at home this season, the Canisius volleyball program prepares to travel to MAAC foes Rider and Saint Peter’s for a pair of league contests in New Jersey Saturday and Sunday.
Scouting Canisius
• The Golden Griffins sit at 8-9 overall and 6-2 in MAAC play after sweeping a pair of conference matches last weekend.
• The Griffs snapped Fairfield’s 58-game conference winning streak in a 3-0 victory Oct. 6 before dropping Quinnipiac Oct. 7 by another 3-0 score.
• Junior Leah Simmons has been leading the Blue and Gold offensively. Simmons is one kill shy of 200 for the campaign (199, 3.21 per set) and has a .276 hitting percentage. Behind Simmons is freshman Camila Vazquezand senior Sara Wesley, both with 144 kills. Vazquez is hitting at a .316 clip to go with 55 total blocks, while Wesley sits at a .267 hitting percentage and has added 40 total blocks.
• Vazquez is not the only impact freshman, as Melina Woods continues to have a stellar first season. Woods has registered 136 kills with a .233 hitting percentage.
• Junior Cassidy Ceriani has continued to do a bit of everything, notching 495 assists with 68 kills and 139 digs. The setter has six double-doubles on the season and has recorded 30-or-more assists in seven-straight matches.
• Senior libero Sofia Lopez Acosta has tallied 341 digs, with eight contests of 20-or-more digs this season and one match with 30+ digs.
• The Griffs are 3-4 in three-set matches this year but hold a 5-4 record in four-set matches. The lone five-set match for Canisius came in the team’s season-opening loss to Montana State.
Griffs Among Conference Leaders
• Canisius finds itself atop the MAAC leaders in hitting percentage (.233).
• The Blue and Gold are second in the conference in kills per set (13.18), assists per set (12.00) and opponent blocks per set (1.50).
• Lopez Acosta paces the MAAC with 5.50 digs per set, which ranks her 16th among Division I leaders.
• Vazquez’s .316 hitting percentage ranks second among all qualified players and her 0.89 blocks per set is tied for third in the conference.
• Ceriani is sixth in the MAAC with 8.84 assists per set, and she ranks 10th with a .269 hitting percentage
• Simmons ranks fourth with 3.21 kills per set and seventh with a .276 hitting percentage.
Canisius Off to Historic Start
• The Blue and Gold are off to their first 4-0 start at home in program history. Dating back to last season, Canisius has won seven-straight in the Koessler Athletic Center.
• The Griffs have won their last three home contests by the score of 3-0.
• Including Saturday’s sweep of Fairfield, this marks the first time since Oct. 26-27, 2013 where the Blue and Gold have posted back-to-back 3-0 wins in a weekend.
• Canisius’ 6-2 start through the first eight MAAC matches of the season is the program’s best since the 2012 team opened league play with a 7-1 record in its first eight MAAC contests.
Scouting the Broncs
• Rider is coming off a three-match week which saw them lose in five matches to Iona, rebound with a sweep of Saint Peter’s and end with a five-set non-conference defeat to Coppin State.
• The offense has been led by Samantha Logan’s 158 kills while Evelyn Shanefield paces Rider with a .274 hitting clip.
• Rider’s main setter is Anilee Sher with 523 assists, having a 9.34 assists per set that ranks third in the conference.
• On the defensive side, Rachelle Runyon leads the Broncs with 279 digs, while Perry Williams’ 0.89 blocks per set (55 total) ranks fifth in conference.
• The Broncs rank second in the MAAC in three categories: opponent assists per set (11.22), blocks per set (1.95) and service aces per set (1.49).
Canisius-Rider Series Notes
• Saturday’s match will mark the 37th meeting between the two long-time MAAC schools in a series that dates back to 1997.
• The Griffs hold a 26-10 lead in the all-time series, with 12 of those 26 victories coming in the form of a sweep.
• Canisius swept the first matchup of the season at home Sept. 23.
Scouting the Peacocks
• Last time out, Saint Peter’s played Fairleigh Dickinson Oct. 3, winning 3-2, and followed that by losing to rival Rider in three sets Oct. 6.
• The Peacocks have been powered by Alanis Alvarado’s 203 kills, along with a .275 hitting percentage from Alexus Sharp.
• Angelee Ng paces the team with 364 assists.
• Defensively, Karla Seda has a team-best 318 digs while Natalia Carbonell Torres leads with 46 total blocks.
• As a team, Saint Peter’s 2,749 total attack attempts ranks 30th nationally.
Canisius-Saint Peter’s Series Notes
• Sunday’s match will serve as the 47th matchup between the two MAAC foes in a series that began in 1989.
• The Griffs hold an 33-13 edge in the all-time series, with Canisius winning the last 17 contests.
• In the previous meeting this season, the Griffs earned the 3-1 victory in their home opener Sept. 22.
Up Next
Canisius finishes its road swing with a Oct. 18 match versus long-time rival Niagara in the Battle of the Bridge. The 6 p.m. contest will mark the 100th time the schools have met in volleyball.
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