LOUDONVILLE, NY – Graduate student Emily Wunder stepped up for a new career-high 19 kills as the Siena Volleyball team came out with a 3-2 (17-25, 25-19, 25-20, 23-25, 15-13) victory over the Marist Red Foxes at the UHY Center in the team's season finale.
 
"What a fun match to send off our seniors with," said head coach Vilis Ozols. "There were so many shifts in momentum and our team showed how much they've matured and evolved over this season. Emily and Olga were so productive today, but the defense, passing, and setting were key to their success."
 
Wunder added six digs and six blocks to her resume, while freshman Olga Sawinska notched 13 kills. Senior Abby Huffman had nine kills and five assisted blocks, while sophomore Greta Stjade collected eight kills and 12 digs. Junior Gracie Halley led the defensive effort, scoring 24 digs in the win.
 
Marist's Gabriella Heimbauer scored a match-high 26 kills on 72 total attempts over the five sets. Senior Morgan Owens had 29 digs, while three other Red Foxes finished with double-digit digs. Sasha Van der Merwe and Sally Tietjen each had double-doubles, with Van der Merwe collecting 12 kills and 15 digs, and Tietjen getting 10 kills and 13 digs.
 
The Red Foxes would take the first set 25-17, giving them the early lead in the match. Marist stayed hot into the second, opening a 10-5 lead. A 5-0 run by Siena would quickly close that gap, and both sides would play up to a 14-all tie. From there, five attack errors and an ace would put Siena in a 6-0 run and a 20-14 lead. The Saints would maintain their lead, tying things up at 1-1 thanks to a 25-19 win in the set.
 
The third would be a battle, as Siena's early lead would be cut down by the Red Foxes as the two sides jostled for the lead. With the score 19-all, a kill from Stjade would start a 6-1 run to end the set for Siena, as a Meghan Johnsson service ace clinched the 25-20 win for a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
In the fourth, Marist would jump ahead with a strong start to the set. Holding a 15-10 lead, the Saints charged back from behind and behind a 5-0 run took a 19-18 lead. After Marist tied the set at 19-19, a pair of kills from Wunder put Siena back on top by two, 21-19. From that point, Heimbauer would do the same for Marist. She would score four kills in Marist's final six points as the Red Foxes tied up the match 2-2 with the 25-23 win.
 
Siena used the momentum into the fifth, opening up a 5-1 lead. The Saints continued to hold the lead until a 4-0 Marist run gave the Red Foxes a 12-11 lead late. However, a kill form Sawinska re-tied the match at 12-12, with an attack error from Marist flipping the score back to the Saints 13-12. After another Heimbauer kill to make it 13-13, another kill from Sawinska and an attack error sealed the win for the Saints 15-13.
 
The Saints now await their seeding for the upcoming MAAC Tournament, being held at the UHY Center next weekend, Nov. 19-21. The Green and Gold will be either the seventh of eighth seed in the tournament.