LOUDONVILLE, NY – Winners of two in a row, the Siena Saints return to the UHY Center to take on the Saint Peter's Peacocks at 1 p.m. in the first of two weekend matches. The Saints look to maintain their position in playoff contention in the MAAC standings with the season winding down.
 
The Saints will be dedicating Saturday's match to former player and team captain Mary Jayne Dreyer (Spellman) '84, who passed away from cancer in July. Dreyer was a four-year letterwinner for the Green and Gold, graduating from Siena in the spring of 1985 with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics. She would be looked upon in the starting lineup all four year for the then Division III Siena squad, coached by Hank Wysocki.
 
The Siena Saints finished off a season sweep of the Iona Gaels last Sunday afternoon, led by graduate student Emily Wunder's 12 kills in a clean 3-0 victory on the road. Siena has now defeated both Manhattan and Iona in both matchups this season.
 
Wunder added four blocks to her resume on the afternoon, with senior Abby Huffman supplying six blocks that included two of the solo variety. Freshman Sara Wagner and senior Maddy Dunigan each supplied nine kills apiece. Junior Gracie Halley completed a solid defensive weekend with 14 digs. As a team, the Saints would hit a season-high .310 over the complete match.
 
The Siena Saints checked in with weekly awards in volleyball on Tuesday, as junior Gracie Halley was named the MAAC Libero of the Week, while freshman Sara Wagner earn MAAC Rookie of the Week. Halley enjoyed a 5.86 digs per set average in a 2-0 week for the Saints, with wins over Manhattan and Iona. Wagner averaged 3.29 kills per set and 3.14 digs per set. She notched a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs on Saturday, followed by a nine kill, eight dig effort in the sweep on Sunday.
 
The Peacocks (1-23, 0-12) were in action on Wednesday in Riverdale, battling Manhattan in a four-set defeat. Freshman Lily Barnhill had herself a night, setting new single-match highs in kills (11), points (11.5) and total blocks (1). Graduate student Wildalys Soto's 7.01 assists/set average is by far most on the team and ranks seventh in the MAAC, while defensively sophomore Alwen Pila leads the group averaging 3.84 digs/set (ninth/MAAC) and ranks second on the team among those with 100+ receptions with a .933 reception percentage. Her 18 aces are most on the team.
 
Siena has won the last three meetings between the schools, and own a 33-10 advantage over the Peacocks. Both teams last met in the fall of 2019, with Siena coming out with a 3-1 at the UHY Center. Then-sophomore Maddy Dunigan broke out with a new career-high in kills on Saturday afternoon, as she exploded for 16 kills and six blocks.
 
The match will be streamed on ESPN3, with Charlie Voelker and James Hosley on the call. Continuous in-game sideline updates will be provided via the volleyball team's official twitter page @SienaVB. Join the conversation by using the hashtags #MarchOn, #SienaSaints, and #MAACVB.
 
Fans wishing to attend any Siena Athletics games held on campus are required to adhere to the Siena Athletics Spectator Policy. All spectators are required to complete the Siena Athletics Spectator Screening Form at sienasaints.com/spectatorregistration, and receive clearance to attend, prior to their arrival on campus. All spectators must be vaccinated to be able to attend, and are required to bring proof of vaccination with them to campus. Unvaccinated children 12 and under must remain masked at all times. Spectators are requested to enter campus via Route 9 through the College's main gate on Loudon Road and check in at the Welcome Booth. All forms of tailgating are also currently prohibited at this time. This policy is guided by the alert level established by Siena College's COVID-19 Operations Team and is subject to change based on current conditions. Siena College and the athletic department will continue to monitor developments and alert spectators of any adjustments made to this policy.