LOUDONVILLE, NY – The first tournament weekend in Loudonville since 1992 for the Siena Volleyball program came to a conclusion on Saturday afternoon, as the Saints closed out the action with a 3-1 (27-29, 26-24, 25-16, 27-25) loss to the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils in the UHY Center. The match was the final action of The Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Siena Invitational, as freshman Sara Wagner earned All-Tournament honors.
 
Wagner was impressive, collecting a match-high 17 kills and falling short of her first career double-double with nine digs. Senior Abby Huffman also played big up front, knocking down 14 kills, hitting a team-high .545, and getting a hand in three blocks. Freshman Claire Isaksen found her stride with a new collegiate career-high 45 assists, while junior Gracie Halley scored 22 digs, just one off her career-high of 23 she set as a freshman in 2019.
 
The Blue Devils looked to Nyjha Marcelin on offense, as she had 16 kills on the afternoon, while Isabelle Roufs had 14 kills and eight blocks – two of which were solo. Emma Henderson and Lauren Milani also each scored double-doubles, as Henderson pumped in 13 kills and 17 digs while Milani chipped in with 12 kills and 13 digs. Facilitaing the Blue Devils offense was both Natalie Novak and Tori Boulay, as the duo each provided 26 assists. Ashlyn Eisenga led the defensive effort with 22 digs.
 
It would be a hard nosed first set, as Central Connecticut jumped out to an early 9-2 lead. However, Huffman found her stride and paced the offense early with six kills in the first frame. Her effort helped the Saints crawl closer deeper into the set, as Siena finally caught up to tie the set at 23-all. Wagner would then take over, scoring the four of the last points with three kills and a set-clinching ace to give Siena the 1-0 lead.
The second set would see much of the same battle, as both sides went back-and-forth the whole way into a 23-20 Siena lead after the Saints scored three in a row out of a timeout. But the Blue Devils came back with three points of their own to tie it at 23-23 before a CCSU attack error put Siena at set point. But the Blue Devils came up with two kills and used a Siena attack error to clinch the set and tie things at 1-1.  
 
The third set would be all Blue Devils, as Siena only produced seven kills with seven errors. Despite going down 2-1, the Saints bounced back and battled in the fourth set. Siena worked it's way to an early 11-7 lead before the Blue Devils would tie it 12-12. Things would see-saw their way through the set, as Siena once again put CCSU up against the ropes with a 24-22 lead to go into a fifth and deciding set. However, back-to-back kills and a service ace for Central Connecticut would wrap things up and give the Blue Devils the 3-1 win.
 
The Saints will return to action this Wednesday, Sept. 15 when they return back to the UHY Center to take on the Binghamton Bearcats in non-conference action. The match will be streamed on ESPN3, with opening serve getting things started at 6 p.m.