Marist Closes Out Canisius in Four Frames

BUFFALO – Facing an early deficit, the Marist volleyball team defeated Canisius, 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 28-26, 25-15), to clinch a spot in the 2016 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships.

The Red Foxes moved to 11-14 overall and 10-4 in the MAAC while the Golden Griffins dropped to 6-16 overall and 4-9 in conference competition. Marist will compete in the MAAC Tournament for the fourth straight season.

Freshman Megan Fergus swatted 15 kills, including four in the final frame, while senior Lexi Millington dove for 31 digs on defense and swiped three service aces. Sophomore Mackenzie O’Brien compiled a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs and junior Ashton Korona registered 11 kills alongside four blocks.

The first set was tied more than any other frame of the contest (12 times), as the Golden Griffins pulled away with the help of a 7-2 run coming out of their first timeout. The scoring spree put Canisius ahead 19-16 and Marist could not recover despite pulling within two points on three more occasions.

Marist’s attack turned the tides with its versatility, powering its way to an 8-4 run to begin the second set with kills from four different hitters and an O’Brien service ace. Despite tying the score twice in the stanza, Canisius could not overcome the Red Foxes’ barrage.

The see saw swayed more third set, as the scoreboard quickly moved from 11-8 in favor of Marist to the Golden Griffins on top 12-11. The Griffs were at set point twice, but the Red Foxes scored three straight points on consecutive kills by O’Brien, junior Kelsey Ediger and Korona respectively.

A 12-4 outburst from Marist in the final frame gave the Red Foxes a 19-12 advantage in the final set and gave them the late cushion they needed. Service aces from Millington and Fergus on the 12th and 20th Red Fox points respectively padded the lead as well.

Griffs’ freshman Leah Simmons and sophomore Sarah Wesley each had seven blocks up front and Wesley also led Canisius with 11 kills. Canisius jumped for 15.5 blocks as a team, but Marist won the match executing at the service line. The Red Foxes owned an 11-6 edge in service aces.

Marist will host Manhattan at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 in its penultimate home match of the season. The Red Foxes have Iona scheduled for Senior Day on Nov. 6