Oct. 30, 2005
Final Stats
Nadiege Honore led four Siena players who posted double digit kills as the Saints battled back from a 2-1 deficit in a 3-2 MAAC win over Canisius in Loudonville Sunday afternoon. Freshman setter April London collected 52 assists and added 10 kills in a winning effort.
In the first game, Christie Gustafson and Honore each had five kills and Siena coasted to a 30-23 win. Mary Boller had eight of her 20 kills in the second game, as Canisius responded for a 30-26 win to tie the match. The Golden Griffins took an emotionally charged third game 30-22 as three players collected four kills and Siena was limited to a .121 attack percentage. The Saints evened things up with a 30-26 win in the fourth game behind six kills from Honore. Christa Glenn and Janine Pesusich each killed three of their four attacks in the decisive fifth game which the Saints won 15-12.
London played another brilliant game as the Saints' setter. The freshman took a more aggressive approach, attacking 17 times on the afternoon and killing 10 of those attempts. It was the second straight match she averaged better than 10 assists per game as she spread the ball evenly around the front row.
Siena's middle hitters were more effective as well, as Pesusich and Hubbard combined for 18 kills and a .490 attack percentage. The Saints also played strong defense when it mattered most, as four players recorded 10 or more digs, led by Gustafson who had 22.
Canisius was led by Boller's 20 kills. Morgan Ammons and Aislinn Hayes had 15 and 10 kills respectively. Canisius had 17 team blocks compared to 11 for Siena and the Griffins made just six service errors in the match.
The Saints again did most of their rallying when senior Christa Glenn was serving. Glenn kept the opposition off balance for the second straight match with her floating service.
Freshman libero Kathi Kobayashi was all over the floor collected 20 digs for the Saints. Her counterpart Jess Stackhouse played well for Canisius adding a team-high 20 digs.
The win was another huge step forward as the Saints look to qualify for the four-team MAAC Championship in mid-November. The Saints were picked ninth in the MAAC preseason poll, but are 3-2 in MAAC play having already played front runners Fairfield and Iona.
The Saints travel to Loyola and Rider next weekend.
