Nov. 22, 2009

Final Stats

The Siena volleyball team saw its quest for a fifth straight MAAC Championship come to a heartbreaking end Sunday in Buffalo. Niagara, the #2 seed, topped the third-seeded Saints in a five-set thriller (25-18,22-25, 25-20, 26-28 and 15-10) at Canisius' Koessler Center.

Amanda Wilkin and Shannon Ryan teamed for a block on a dramatic match point that sent the Purple Eagles to Monday night's ESPN- televised final against #4 seed Marist. The Red Foxes defeated top-seed Fairfield in Sunday's first semifinal.

Aubrey Bobo led the Saints with 23 kills and a .416 attack percentage. Burgandy McCurty's stellar career came to an end with a 17-kill, eight-dig effort. Co-captain Kau'i Robello had 49 assists and 10 digs to round out a double-double in her final match with the Saints.

Kari Honomichl led all players with 22 kills, and Hanna Hedrick added 21 kills and a match-high 20 digs for the Purple Eagles.

Niagara led the first set from start to finish after grabbing an early 5-1 lead. The Saints trailed 15-8 in the second set before using a 10-1 run to take control. Niagara trailed just once, 7-6, in taking the third set 25-20. Amazingly, Siena never trailed in the fourth set, despite needing extra points in a 28-26 win that forced the decisive fifth set.

The Purple Eagles led from start to finish in the final set, grabbing an early 6-1 lead before holding off a Siena charge that cut the lead to 8-7. Niagara scored the next four points to claim a 12-7 advantage, but Siena again rallied to score three straight and cut the lead to 12-10. After a timeout, Niagara won the final three points to claim the set and the match.

Siena finished the 2009 season with a 15-13 record. The Saints had a roller coaster season, entering the Championships on a season-long six-match winning streak that included victories over the Purple Eagles and top-seeded Stags after spending much of the year on the verge of not qualifying for the event.