Oct. 25, 2011
Final Stats
Exactly 10 days ago the Siena volleyball team limped into Draddy Gymnasium with a 2-6 MAAC record and a three-match losing streak. The Saints boarded the bus after their biggest win of the season Tuesday night, a 3-0 (27-25, 25-20 and 29-27) triumph at Iona, winners of five straight contests, and very much alive in the race to the four-team MAAC Championships.
How much has the team improved? Consider this: Iona dissected Siena 3-0 in Loudonville less than a month ago, with the Saints failing to reach 20 points in any set. The teams are now tied for fifth in the MAAC with 7-6 records, just a game behind Manhattan, and a game and a half behind third-place Marist.
How did it happen? The latest win provided the blueprint. With MAAC Player of the Week Taylor Akana limited to just eight kills - her second lowest output of the season - the offense displayed the balance and precision missing throughout the first 16 matches of the season.
Setter Sarah Sivertson was superb, logging 42 assists, 12 digs and five kills without an error. She turned to classmate Colleen Ahearn in the middle, and Ahearn responded with a team-high 12 kills, including the match-winner to finish off a wild third set. On the outside, freshman Rachel Stoklosa played one of the top matches of her promising career, killing 11 of 27 attacks, and racking up 10 digs.
Akana found a way to aid the cause, registering 18 digs and a team-high three aces. Fellow Hawaiian Lesli Akeo managed 18 digs in a typically steady performance that defined her underappreciated game.
Head coach Garvey Pierre remained predictably confident about this squad when others had justifiably written the season off. "This team reminds me of our 2005 (NCAA) team," Pierre said when the losses were stacking up. "I just hope we can figure it out, and perform the way I know we are capable of before we run out of time."
It appears the Saints have indeed figured something out, and the timing couldn't be better. Seven league matches remain, starting with Saturday's showdown at Marist. Should the Saints win that contest, the road to a seventh-straight MAAC Tournament appearance will be a whole lot easier.
Just how far that road will take them remains to be seen.
