LOUDONVILLE, NY – Riding a four-match winning streak, the Siena Volleyball team returns home to the UHY Center as they take on the Niagara Purple Eagles and Canisius Golden Griffins this weekend.
Siena is coming off a mid-week 3-1 victory over the Quinnipiac Bobcats Wednesday night, as graduate student
Emily Wunder and junior
Hailey Hinkel each contributed 17 kills. The victory for Siena gives them their longest winning streak in six years. All four of their wins during the streak have come away from Loudonville.
The combo of Wunder and Hinkel were challenged by a 15-kill effort from
Sara Wagner. Wunder hit 40 percent on the match to lead the team in that category on 35 total attempts.
Gracie Halley added 14 digs, and
Claire Isaksen tossed out 46 assists – a new career-high.
The Saints have become one of the best in the country on the serve, as the rank first in the MAAC and ranked as high as fifth in the nation in aces per set before Wednesday's match at Quinnipiac. Currently, the Saints average 1.96 aces per set – with Rider in second at 1.8. The Saints have also become one of the more effective hitting teams in the conference, sitting fourth in the MAAC with a .186 hitting percentage.
Individually, reigning MAAC Player of the Week
Ece Emrullah is among the league's best in hitting percentage (5th - .310), while senior
Gracie Halley reps the defensive game for the Green and Gold, ranking third in digs per set (4.42). However, sophomore
Sara Wagner sits with the league's best players in points – which combines kills, aces, and blocks – sitting ninth with a 3.48 points per set average.
Siena and Niagara meet for the 53rd time on Saturday, with Siena holding a 29-23 advantage. However, the Purple Eagles are winners of the last nine matches. The last Siena win over Niagara came in a 3-0 sweep on the road on Oct. 30, 2016. Briana Flagg led Siena with 19 kills, while Sonja Vasovic added 10 and Samantha Pethokoukis tallied nine. Haley Howell recorded a match-high 44 assists. Kalehua Katagiri dished out 17 assists, while Bobbi Lin Kalama added 12.
The Saints will face off with the Golden Griffins for the 56th time in a matchup that commenced back in 1990. Siena holds a 34-21 advantage over Canisius, despite falling in the last four matches. The last Siena win coming back on Nov. 9, 2019. The Saints took a hard fought 3-2 victory on the road over the Golden Griffins behind a 16-kill, .577 attack percentage, and four blocks from
Abby Huffman.
Saturday's match will be live streamed on Siena All-Access, while Sunday's match will be featured on ESPN3. The "Voice of the Saints"
Emmanuel Berbari has the call of the match alongside James Hosley on ESPN3, which is available to watch by clicking the corresponding link. Fans can also follow the match by following the corresponding live stats links, or by following courtside twitter updates on @SienaVB.
