By: Colin Richey
The Griffins won both of their games this week, defeating Rider 3-1 and Saint Peter’s 3-0.
On Saturday, Canisius traveled to Lawrenceville, New Jersey to take on conference rival Rider. The Griffs dominated the beginning of the first set, storming out to a 7-0 lead, and winning the set 25-10. To start the second set, senior outside hitter Ella Loussia continued to move up the record books, notching back-to-back aces to move into third all-time in single-season aces.
This set was much more competitive, but Canisius came out on top 25-22. Rider bounced back, winning the third set 25-18, cutting the Griffin’s lead to one set. Canisius, down 7 in the fourth set, battled back to win 27-25. Senior libero Bree Long finished with a team-high 19 digs, while Loussia finished with 16 kills.
The next day, Canisius traveled to Jersey City, New Jersey, where they faced off against the struggling Saint Peter’s. Aside from the Griffins picking up their second win of the weekend, the major storyline was Loussia making history. With her 6 aces, she set the new single-season Canisius record for aces in a season. Canisius dominated the entire game, winning the first three sets in order to sweep Saint Peter’s.
In the first set, the Griffins managed to accomplish a 6-1 run that led to a 25-17 victory. In the second set, Canisius exploded out to an 11-1 lead, and wound up winning the set 25-14. The third set was much closer, as the score was 15-14 going into a media timeout. Canisius scored seven of the next eight points to take a 22-15 lead, and eventually won 25-18.
Sophomore blocker Emma Mans led the team with 13 kills, while Loussia recorded 14 digs (team-high), 12 kills (second on the team), and 6 aces (team-high). With 32 assists in the match, freshman setter Ella Bourque has notched 30+ assists in 14 out of 16 conference games this season. With her two blocks against Saint Peter’s, junior right side Alexa Albinson raised her team-leading season total to 60.
The Griffs are now in fourth place in the MAAC standings, with only two games remaining in the regular season. Their next match is at home against the #5 seed Siena on Saturday at 11:00.
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