LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Siena Volleyball team bounced back with a pair of convincing sweeps against Le Moyne and Bucknell to close out their hosted Siena Saints Invitational on Saturday after a tough three-set defeat to Delaware State on Friday at the UHY Center.
Siena (4-5) narrowly dropped two sets against DSU and fell 3-0 (23-25, 23-25, 13-25) before coming back to blow past Le Moyne in three sets (25-9, 25-13, 25-19) to earn the split on Friday. That momentum carried into Saturday as the Saints put together arguably its most impressive performance of the season in breezing by Bucknell 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-15) to capture a winning weekend for the first time this season.
Sophomore right side
Mary Claire Deacy and redshirt senior libero
Brooke Malek both stared with dynamic performances as they were both selected to the Siena Saints Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Deacy finished with 32 kills on a .278 hitting percentage to go along with eight digs and six blocks. Patrolling the back end and roaming all over in between, Malek produced 49 digs, 14 assists and six aces with a high-energy motor.
Junior setter
Abby Edwards was steady with 57 assists, 13 digs and a pair of aces while redshirt sophomore outside hitter
Brianna Miller scattered 22 digs, 19 kills, and six aces.
Set-by-Set Against Bucknell
Siena answered an 18-18 tie by scoring the final seven points of the first set, with Miller serving the last six and Wire supplying three straight kills before a Bucknell attack error closed a 25-18 win. Earlier, Siena opened with a Seymour kill from
Abby Edwards and stayed in front through the first half behind finishes from Deacy, Miller,
Doga Diraz and Wire.
Alison Goldberg and Deacy combined on a block during that stretch, while Seymour and Malek each added an ace as Siena moved ahead 11-7. Bucknell cut into the margin and tied the set at 18-18, but Siena regained the point on a Bucknell attack error before Miller delivered back-to-back aces and Wire finished three consecutive rallies to put the set out of reach.
Siena answered Bucknell's early 5-3 lead with a 6-0 run, taking control at 9-5 behind kills from Goldberg and Diraz and five straight service points from
Oliwia Majtyka. Earlier in the set, Deacy opened Siena's scoring with two kills assisted by Edwards before Bucknell moved in front. Siena kept the margin through the middle of the set with contributions from Diraz, Wire, Seymour and Miller, but Bucknell won four straight points to get within 16-14. The Saints steadied with kills from Edwards, Deacy, Miller and Wire, then used blocks involving Seymour, Wire and Diraz to build a 23-17 edge. Wire gave Siena set point, and Deacy finished the 25-18 set win with a kill from Edwards.
Siena finished the third set by taking seven of the last eight rallies, including five straight service points on Majtyka's serve from 18-14 to 23-14, before Miller and Goldberg closed a 25-15 set win with kills. Earlier, Siena fell behind 6-4 but responded with kills from Deacy, Diraz and Miller, and Majtyka's ace put Siena ahead 8-6. Siena continued to build through the middle of the set, using Wire and Deacy kills along with blocks involving Seymour, Deacy and Diraz to move from an 11-11 tie to a 17-12 lead. After Bucknell got within 17-14, Siena benefited from four Bucknell attack errors in the closing stretch and added kills from Miller, Diraz and Goldberg to finish the set.
Set-by-Set Against Le Moyne
Siena broke open the first set with a 13-0 run from 9-7 to 22-7, including 12 straight service points with Edwards at the line. Earlier, Deacy and
Maggie Seymour helped Siena start quickly with kills in the opening stretch, and Siena led 8-4 before Le Moyne worked back to 9-7. During the decisive run, Edwards served two aces, Deacy added multiple kills, and Siena also got blocks involving Seymour, Deacy and
Gabrielle Wire. After Le Moyne ended the run, Siena closed out the set on a Le Moyne service error, an attack error and a bad set to finish a 25-9 win.
Siena created separation in the second set shortly after a 2-2 tie, using two Deacy kills and three Miller service aces to move ahead 10-4. Le Moyne answered with consecutive points to get to 12-7, and after the teams traded points to 13-8, Siena used a Miller kill and back-to-back
Doga Diraz kills to build a 16-8 advantage. Wire added two kills in the next stretch, while Diraz and Seymour also scored as Siena continued to answer Le Moyne points. Deacy delivered kills for Siena's 22nd and 23rd points, then
Alison Goldberg and Diraz combined on a block before Diraz put down the closing kill to finish the set.
Siena's third set turned when it answered an 8-7 deficit with eight straight points, as Diraz tied the set with a kill before Malek served seven consecutive points that included four aces and pushed Siena ahead 15-8. Earlier, Siena opened with kills from
Natalia Clifford, Deacy and Miller, but Le Moyne tied the set at 6-6 and later moved ahead on Nina Salas' ace. Siena maintained the separation after Malek's service run with kills from Seymour, Deacy and Miller, and Goldberg's block helped move the score to 22-12. Le Moyne made a late push from 23-14 to 23-18, but Miller answered for set point and Wire finished the 25-19 set win off an assist from Goldberg.
Set-by-Set Against Delaware State
Siena pushed the opening set to 23-23 and held a late 23-22 edge on a Deacy kill, but Delaware St. answered and won the final two points to take the set 25-23. Earlier, after Delaware St. moved ahead 3-1,
Maggie Seymour had a kill and an ace to help Siena pull even, and
Brianna Miller followed with a kill for a 4-3 lead. Siena built separation from 5-5 with a Miller kill, an
Alison Goldberg block, a Miller ace and a
Gabrielle Wire-Goldberg block to go up 9-5, then responded to a Delaware St. push with a Wire kill and three Diraz kills for a 13-8 advantage. Delaware St. kept working back late, tying the set at 19-19, 20-20, 21-21, 22-22 and 23-23, while Siena countered with kills from Wire, Diraz and Deacy before the visitors closed the set.
Siena battled back from multiple deficits in the second set, including tying the set at 18-18 and getting back within 24-23 late, but Delaware St. held on for a 25-23 set. Earlier, after Delaware St. moved ahead 10-7, Malek's serve helped Siena win four straight points, with Malek delivering an ace, Seymour recording a block and Wire finishing a kill from
Oliwia Majtyka to give Siena an 11-10 lead. Wire added another kill from Majtyka for a 12-11 Siena edge, but Delaware St. then won five straight points to put Siena behind 16-12. Siena again worked back, with a Deacy kill from Malek among the points, and Goldberg and Diraz combined on a block before a Delaware St. error tied it 18-18. After Delaware St. went back in front 21-18, Wire and Deacy supplied Siena's final two kills, including Deacy's finish from Edwards after Delaware St. reached set point at 24-22 that cut the margin to 24-23 before a Siena attack error ended the set.
Siena faced a 10-1 deficit in the third set after Delaware St. followed Wire's early kill from Edwards with seven consecutive points, including three Aaliyah Mitchell kills and two Courtney Nix aces.
Hannah Bowman stopped that stretch with a kill from Edwards, and Deacy added another Edwards-assisted kill to move Siena to 10-3. Diraz, set up twice by Majtyka, gave Siena points at 14-5 and 19-7, and Siena added two more in a row on a Delaware St. error and a Deacy kill from Edwards to reach 19-9. Deacy and Seymour combined on blocks for Siena points at 21-10 and 22-11, while Bowman added late kills at 22-12 and 23-13. Delaware St. answered Bowman's final kill with the last two points to take the set 25-13.
Up Next
Siena will return to competition on Friday, September 18, opening against Maryland Eastern Shore (1-6) at 11 a.m. in the Natale Sporting Good Invitational held at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, PA followed by a match up at Robert Morris (0-9) at 6 p.m. The Saints will also play at Duquesne (7-2) at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh on Saturday at 2 p.m.
