LOUDONVILLE, NY – It was decided by the slimmest of margins in the Capital District Volleyball Showdown between visiting UAlbany and Siena as the Saints dropped a tough one 3-1 (23-25, 23-25, 25-12, 23-25) on Wednesday night at the UHY Center.
Despite outscoring UAlbany for the match 94-87 and producing seven more digs and three more aces, Siena (9-9 overall, 4-1 Metro) fell on the short side by dropping the first, second and fourth sets by two points around a 25-12 third-set win.
Siena fell to 9-9 overall and UAlbany upped their mark to 5-10 overall.
Sophomore right side
Mary Claire Deacy finished with 18 kills, 20 digs, three block assists. Junior setter
Abby Edwards recorded 43 assists, six digs and two aces.
Redshirt senior libero
Brooke Malek led Siena with 22 digs and added three assists while redshirt sophomore outside hitter
Brianna Miller posted 11 kills, 13 digs and two aces.
Set-by-Set
Siena pushed the first set to the final points after falling behind 24-19, using a
Maggie Seymour kill and three straight UAlbany errors to get within 24-23 before UAlbany closed the set, 25-23. Earlier, Siena opened with a point on an
Alison Goldberg-
Gabrielle Wire block, then got a Deacy-Goldberg block and kills from Wire and Deacy to stay even through 7-7. UAlbany moved ahead 16-11, but Siena answered with a Wire kill and later points on UAlbany errors to trim the margin to 17-15. After UAlbany pushed back in front 21-15, Miller put down consecutive kills from Edwards and Deacy added a service ace as Siena pulled to 21-19, setting up the late rally.
In the second set, Siena erased a 19-17 deficit with kills from Edwards, Deacy, Wire and Seymour to move ahead 22-20, but UAlbany answered late and took the set 25-23. Earlier, the Saints won seven of the first eight rallies, using a Deacy-Goldberg block, a Goldberg kill, an
Autumn Willmott ace and kills from Deacy and Miller to build a 7-1 lead. UAlbany worked back to tie the set at 9-9, and Siena responded with points from Seymour, Goldberg, Deacy, a UAlbany error and another Willmott ace to go up 14-11. After UAlbany moved ahead 18-15, Siena pulled back within one on a Seymour kill and a Deacy ace before making its late push, but UAlbany won five of the final six points to close the set.
After a 2-1 deficit in the third set, Siena answered by winning five of the next six points, using kills from Wire, Deacy and Miller to move ahead 6-3. Deacy kept Siena in front with another kill for a 7-4 lead, and
Brianna Miller's service turn later pushed the advantage from 9-5 to 12-5 with an ace, a Wire kill and a Seymour kill. Edwards added a service ace for 15-7 before Siena moved to 19-9 on a Willmott ace and a Goldberg-Deacy block that helped force a UAlbany attack error. Deacy and Miller delivered late kills, and Miller finished the set with an ace as Siena took the set 25-12.
In the fourth set, Siena led 19-16 before UAlbany won five straight points to move in front 21-19. Earlier, Wire answered the opening point with a kill from Malek, and Siena moved ahead 5-2 behind a Miller kill, a UAlbany attack error and Malek's ace. Deacy gave Siena repeated side out production through the middle of the set, with Edwards assisting kills that put Siena ahead 6-3, 8-4, 9-6, 11-8 and 12-9. Deacy stopped UAlbany's late run with a kill, and Siena stayed within reach on Miller's kill at 23-22 and Wire's kill at 24-23 before Mina Benucci closed the set for UAlbany, 25-23.
Up Next
Siena will take to the road and back in Metro action at Quinnipiac (4-12, 3-2 Metro) this Friday at 5 p.m. from Hamden, CT.
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