Tough weekend for the Broncs, Rider loses two

By Lindsay Scarola 

Looking to keep its streak alive, Rider volleyball traveled north to Connecticut for a tough weekend of games, going head-to-head against Sacred Heart and Fairfield.

Streak broken  

Rider came in hot with a six-game winning streak, but that was no threat to the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Oct. 19. 

Trailing 10-7 in the first game, junior outside hitter Kiannisha Santiago and junior middle hitter Carley McAleavey had three straight combo blocks. 

The Broncs led 23-19 before the Pioneers scored four points to even out the set. The battle ended on a 4-1 run by the Pioneers to win 31-29. 

With three kills by sophomore outside hitter Paige Giehtbrock, Rider had the upper hand in the second game. The Broncs built a lead Sacred Heart could not come back from. Rider took the second set 25-21. 

“We need to recognize when it may be better to place the ball strategically, not make errors, and give our block and defense a chance to win the point for us,” said Head Coach Jeff Rotondo.

In a tie-breaking third set, a 5-0 run had the Broncs in control until the Pioneers crawled back for a score of 18-18. 

Rider had the go-ahead score until Sacred Heart scored five more points. Pioneers took the third set against the Broncs, 25-23.  

Tied 12-12, Sacred Heart scored nine points in a row after a key run in the fourth game. Two kills and two blocks by McAleavey started a 5-0 run to bring the Broncs within two points; however, they could not get closer, so the Pioneers took the fourth set, 25-22. 

Within this game, Rider had many errors that allowed Sacred Heart to overtake them. Sacred Heart snapped Rider’s six game winning streak, going 3-1 in the matchup.   

Broncs in Stagnation  

On Oct. 20, Fairfield started strong, scoring 10 points in a row in the first set. Rider could not catch up and lost that game, 25-14. 

After a 6-0 run by the Stags in the second set, the Broncs fought back and tied it 14-14. Rider scored five straight points with kills from Santiago and Giehtbrock, but the Stags continued to battle.

Rider improved their defense to be a brick wall against Fairfield.

“Against Fairfield we blocked a lot better,” said sophomore middle hitter Molly Rohde. Rider defeated Fairfield 27-25 in the second set. 

In the third game, Rider widened its lead against Fairfield after two kills each from junior outside hitter Brynn Johnson and Rohde. However, the Stags carved out four points to take the set against Rider with a final score of 25-22. 

The Stags led early in the fourth with a seven-point lead against the Broncs. A powerful Bronc run allowed them to be a point away from Fairfield’s score.

Unable to surpass the Stags, Rider lost the set, 25-20. The Stags outran the Broncs with a final score of 3-1. 

Rider will be home on Wednesday, Oct. 23 for their Cran Out/Break the Attendance Record Match against Temple at 7 p.m. 

On Oct. 26, Iona comes to town for Rider’s Homecoming match Saturday at 12 p.m. On Oct. 27, Manhattan will face Rider at 1 p.m. 

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