Rider rolling through MAAC with two more wins
By Lindsay Scarola
The Broncs volleyball team had a busy week between the Cran Out game and Homecoming Weekend.
Cran Out
Oct. 23 marked Rider’s first home game of the season — a rematch against Temple.
Down 5-2 in the first set, the Broncs added four points to take the lead, but that did not intimidate the Owls.
Tied 22-22, junior middle hitter Carley McAleavey performed back-to-back blocks, giving Rider the set point.
The Broncs could not close out the Owls, losing 27-25. The second set reflected the first, and sophomore middle hitter Molly Rohde scored the set point for Rider with an ace.
The Owls won again, 26-24.
Rider did not give up, leading 11-9 in the third set after five straight points, including two kills from sophomore outside hitter Rylah Robinson.
The Broncs defeated the Owls 25-22.
The fourth set was a close game until Temple stole the lead, and Rider could not catch up.
The Owls beat the Broncs 25-18. Coach Jeff Rotondo noted Rider could not fight against Temple in crucial positions, a flaw that has been a work in progress.
“We are working on some pressure situations at practice to make sure, mentally, we are staying aggressive, but not reckless, so we can close out sets when leading,” said Rotondo.
Rider lost to Temple 3-1.
Homecoming Weekend
Rider fixed its flaws before diving back into the MAAC Oct. 26 against the Iona Gaels.
“We spent a good amount of time on some block[ing] and digging cleanup, as these were the areas we felt contributed to our recent losses,” said Rotondo.
The first set was heated, both teams fighting for the lead, the pattern continued until the score reached 21-21, then the Broncs broke through with four straight points, earning a 25-21 victory.
Tied 8-8 in the second set, sophomore outside hitter Paige Giehtbrock had four kills, contributing to Rider’s nine point run.
Rider won the second set 25-14.
Despite being down 4-1 in the third set, the Broncs did not panic, tying it 6-6.
With kills from Rohde and junior outside hitter Kiannisha Santiago, the Broncs took the lead. Rider won the set 25-16 and swept Iona 3-0 for Homecoming Weekend.
Jaspers swept
Rider was back on the court Oct. 27 to battle the Manhattan Jaspers.
Set one was back and forth until the Broncs scored four points, widening their lead.
The Jaspers could not close the gap. Rider won the first set 25-16.
The Broncs dominated the second seed, preventing the Jaspers from any chance to catch up.
Giehtbrock and Robinson had nine kills combined. Rider took the second set 25-14.
The third set was opposite, with Rider trailing for most of it.
Manhattan was up 19-13 before Rider gained a spark to score seven straight points, flipping the game’s momentum.
“We started to execute in every phase: serving, block and defense, attack and communication,” Giehtbrock said. “Even though we started down in that third set, our motivation and drive to compete stayed.”
Rider closed out the match with a kill by Robinson, the final score 25-23.
“The players on the court just trust that, even though we were down, we were still going to get the win,” said Rohde.
The Broncs stampeded over the Jaspers for a 3-0 sweep.
Rider’s next home game is Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. The team will travel to New York for the weekend to take on Siena Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. and Marist Nov. 3 at 1 p.m.
