CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Siena (1-21, 0-10 MAAC) at Canisius (10-10, 8-3 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018
Time: 1 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN3
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Marist (11-9, 8-2 MAAC) at Canisius
Date: Sunday, Oct. 21, 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 Friday, Oct. 19, 2018
Coming off its first sweep on Niagara’s home court since 2000, the Canisius volleyball program prepares to kick off a five-match homestand with a pair of contests against Siena and Marist.
Scouting Canisius
• The Golden Griffins sit in a tie for third place in the MAAC standing with Fairfield at 8-3, while the win over Niagara moved the Griffs back to .500 overall (10-10).
• The win also marked the first win for the Blue and Gold at Niagara’s Gallagher Center since Oct. 19, 2013, and the first sweep over Niagara since a 3-0 victory at the Koessler Athletic Center Oct. 2, 2013.
• Junior Leah Simmons has been leading the Blue and Gold offensively with 231 kills (.277 hitting percentage), registering 15 kills in the win at Niagara with a .500 hitting clip.
• Behind Simmons is freshman Camila Vazquez, as the Tampa, Fla., native has 172 kills after recording 10 more against the Purple Eagles. The middle hitter also leads the team with 62 total blocks.
• Vazquez’s .714 hitting clip on 14 attempts against Niagara set the program record for hitting percentage in a match among players with at least 12 attack attempts.
• Right behind Vazquez is senior Sara Wesley with 168 kills and hitting at .272.
• Vazquez is not the only impact freshman, as Melina Woods continues to add on to a stellar rookie season. Woods has registered 167 kills, 84 digs and 19 service aces.
• Junior Cassidy Ceriani has done a bit of everything for the Griffs, notching 668 assists with 83 kills and 185 digs. The setter has seven double-doubles on the season and has recorded 30-or-more assists in ten-straight matches.
• Senior libero Sofia Lopez Acosta has tallied 389 digs, with eleven contests of 20-or-more digs this season. The libero also leads the Griffs with 21 service aces this campaign.
• The Griffs are now 5-4 in three-set matches this year and hold a 5-5 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 leading the MAAC in team hitting percentage (.238) and opponent blocks per set (1.47).
• The Blue and Gold are second in the conference in kills per set (13.36) and assists per set (12.17).
• Lopez Acosta paces the MAAC with 5.40 digs per set.
• Vazquez’s .337 hitting percentage ranks second among all qualified players and her 0.86 blocks per set is tied for sixth in the conference.
• Simmons’ .277 hitting percentage ranks eighth while Wesley’s .272 clip puts the senior tenth among league leaders.
• Ceriani is fourth in the MAAC with 9.28 assists per set.
• Simmons also ranks fourth with 3.21 kills per set.
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.
• Canisius’ 8-3 start through the first 11 MAAC matches of the season is the program’s best since an 8-3 start in 2013. The 2012 team also went 8-3 through the first 11 conference matches.
• 2012 also marks the last time the Griffs were .500-or-better overall through the first 20 matches in a season, posting an 11-9 record.
Scouting the Saints
• Siena is coming off a mid-week conference match at home Oct. 17 in which the Saints fell in straight sets to Quinnipiac. The Saints also lost last weekend to rival Marist, 3-0, and UMass Lowell, 3-1.
• The offense has been led by Nicole Deobler’s 150 kills while Brooke Rogers paces Siena with a .213 hitting clip.
• Siena’s main setter is Jessica Eblin with 400 assists.
• On the defensive side, JoJo Ishida leads the Saints with 245 digs, while Rogers’ 34 total blocks pace the team.
Canisius-Siena Series Notes
• Saturday’s match will serve as the 48th matchup between the two long-time MAAC foes in a series that began in 1990.
• The Saints hold a 33-15 edge in the all-time series, with Siena winning eight of the last 10 contests.
• In the earlier meeting this season, Canisius took down Siena in four sets on Sept. 16. Simmons set a career-high with 21 kills in the win, while Ceriani became the eighth player in program history to reach 2,000 career assists.
Scouting the Red Foxes
• In its last two contests, Marist claimed a 3-1 victory Oct. 10 in a mid-week match with Quinnipiac, and followed it up with another conference win, 3-0, over Siena Oct. 13.
• The Red Foxes have been powered by Nikki DeSerpa’s 250 kills, and her 3.38 kills per set ranks third in the MAAC.
• Chirdera Udeh paces the conference with a .351 hitting percentage, while Lauren Waide is tied for third in the MAAC at a .297 clip.
• Taylor Van Der Biezen is one assist shy of 700 on the season, while her 0.45 service aces per set ranks second in the MAAC and 28th nationally.
• Defensively, Morgan Owens has a team-best 257 digs.
• Stephanie Stone leads the squad with 51 total blocks, and her 0.96 blocks per set is second-best in the MAAC.
• As a team, Marist ranks first in the conference with 1.99 blocks per set.
Canisius-Marist Series Notes
• Sunday’s contest will mark the 38th meeting between the two MAAC schools in a series that dates back to 1993.
• The Griffs hold a 19-18 lead in the all-time series, with the past ten matchups going in the Red Foxes’ favor.
• Earlier this season, Marist defeated Canisius, 3-1, in a Sept. 15 match that saw Gabrielle Darnaby register a double-double with a career-high 11 kills to go with 12 digs.
Up Next
Canisius continues its homestand when it welcomes Manhattan Oct. 27, followed by Iona coming to town Oct. 28. Both matches are set for 1 p.m. and will be seen live on ESPN+.
