Siena University Athletics

ERIE, PA – Siena Volleyball gutted out an early day win against Cleveland State and then dropped a heartbreaker in the night match in what was a tight, fifth-set defeat against the host Lakers to wrap up the first day of the Mercyhurst Invitational on Friday in a split day-night double dose of volleyball action on Owen McCormick Court.

Siena (2-3) topped the Vikings in four sets (25-21, 26-28, 25-17, 25-22) behind a top-notch performance by sophomore right side Mary Claire Deacy, who produced a team-high 14 kills on a sizzling .429 hitting percentage. Siena used a key 9-0 run in the third set to move from 14-all to a 23-14 advantage.

It marked the first time in school history that Siena had defeated Cleveland State in three chances. 

The Saints had an opportunity to take both matches on the day when it led 13-7 in the fifth-and deciding-set against host Mercyhurst, but surrendered a 9-1 run to fall 3-2 (25-18, 19-25, 22-25, 25-21, 14-16). 
Siena fell to 0-2 all-time against Mercyhurst. 

Deacy, an All-Metro Preseason selection, led the way with 16 kills on a .371 hitting percentage, senior setter Oliwia Majtyka contributed a double-double with 12 digs and 18 assists and three aces while junior transfer from VCU Abby Edwards had a team-high 22 assists and a pair of aces.

Set-by-Set against Cleveland State
The Saints took the opening set 25-21 after building a 20-12 advantage and holding off a late Cleveland St. push. Earlier, Natalia Clifford put Siena on the board with a kill from Deacy, and Siena answered a 4-4 tie by moving back ahead before consecutive Alison Goldberg kills made it 9-5. Deacy added kills to put Siena up 12-7 and 14-10, while Doga Diraz delivered a kill and a solo block during a four-point stretch that moved the Saints to 20-12. Cleveland St. cut the margin to 21-19, but Siena responded with a Maggie Seymour-Gabrielle Wire block, another Deacy kill and two Cleveland St. errors to finish the set.

In the second set, Siena reached extra points and tied it at 26-26 on a Brianna Miller-Goldberg block, but Cleveland St. scored the next two points to take the set 28-26. Earlier, after trailing 3-2, Siena moved in front 7-4 behind a Malek kill, an Oliwia Majtyka kill and a service ace on Miller's serve, with a Cleveland St. setting error also contributing. Siena later led 12-7 after blocks by Goldberg and Diraz and another Cleveland St. bad set, but Cleveland St. worked back to 16-16 on a service ace. After falling behind 20-19, Siena scored the next three points, including a Diraz-Miller block, and Miller's kills gave Siena leads of 24-22 and 25-24 before Cleveland St. finished the set.

In the third set, Siena turned a 14-14 tie into control of the frame, winning nine straight points to build a 23-14 lead. Earlier, the Saints answered an 11-9 deficit with kills from Miller and Deacy, a block by Clifford and Goldberg, and a Cleveland St. error to move ahead 14-12. After Cleveland St. tied it, a service error sent Siena back in front, and Miller served through an eight-point stretch that included a Diraz kill, a Sonja Meyer kill from Deacy and Goldberg's block. Cleveland St. cut into the margin with three points, but Clifford's kill from Majtyka and Seymour's block closed Siena's 25-17 set win.

In the fourth set, Siena closed by winning four of the final five points after a 21-21 tie, with Deacy putting down kills for 22-21 and set point at 24-22 before Autumn Willmott's service ace finished a 25-22 set win. Earlier, Siena faced a 7-3 deficit but worked back to 8-8 behind a Cleveland St. service error, a Clifford kill, a Cleveland St. attack error and a Goldberg kill. The Saints later trailed 11-9 before Deacy's kill started a three-point Siena push that included two Cleveland St. attack errors, one on a block by Seymour, to move ahead 12-11 and then 13-11. Cleveland St. continued to answer through the middle of the set, but Diraz's kill tied it at 18-18, Malek followed with a service ace, and Siena regrouped after another 21-21 tie to take the set.

Set-by-Set against Mercyhurst
Siena broke open a tight first set with six straight points that turned a 14-13 edge into a 20-13 lead, using a Goldberg block, kills from Goldberg, Miller and Wire, and a Miller ace. Earlier, the Saints opened with three straight points on Mercyhurst attack errors and built a 9-6 lead behind kills from Deacy, Goldberg, Miller, Wire and Maggie Seymour, plus an Edwards ace. Mercyhurst rallied to tie the set at 9-9 and later moved ahead 12-11, but Siena answered with a Deacy kill, a Miller kill and a Majtyka ace to move back in front. After Mercyhurst trimmed the margin to 20-16, Siena steadied the finish with a Diraz kill, a Mercyhurst service error and two late Mercyhurst miscues to close out a 25-18 set win.

Siena faced a 19-10 deficit in the second set before winning seven of the next eight rallies, using three Miller kills, two Goldberg blocks and a Diraz kill from Brooke Malek to get within 20-17. Earlier, Natalia Clifford put Siena on the board with a kill from Edwards, and Majtyka added a service ace as the Saints cut an early gap to 6-4. Mercyhurst rebuilt separation through the middle of the set, though Miller, Deacy and Wire each supplied kills to keep Siena scoring. After Siena's late push, Mercyhurst took five of the final seven points and closed the set 25-19.

Siena turned a 6-5 deficit into a 10-7 lead in the third set, using Mercyhurst errors around three Wire kills, with Malek and Majtyka assisting on the finishes. Mercyhurst answered to move back in front, but Siena stayed within reach behind kills from Diraz, Seymour and Goldberg through the middle of the set. After Mercyhurst led 20-15, Siena responded with a Diraz kill, a Mercyhurst attack error and another Diraz kill to close the gap to 20-18. The Saints made one more push from 22-18, getting a Diraz kill, a Mercyhurst attack error and an Edwards ace to pull within 22-21, but Mercyhurst scored three of the final four points to take the set 25-22.

Siena used multiple service runs and late sideouts to hold off Mercyhurst for a 25-21 fourth-set win. Majtyka helped Siena move ahead early, serving an ace before setting Miller for back-to-back kills in a push to 8-4. Malek added another scoring stretch from the service line, recording two aces and a kill as Siena built a 14-7 advantage. After Mercyhurst reached 15-13, Deacy put down a kill and Clifford followed with an ace during four straight Siena service points that made it 20-13. Mercyhurst closed within 22-20, but Deacy and Miller answered with late kills before a Mercyhurst attack error finished the set.

Siena put itself in position in the fifth set with a 5-0 opening run and later held a 13-7 lead, but Mercyhurst rallied to take the set, 16-14. Deacy had kills on Siena's first two points and teamed with Miller on a block during the opening stretch, then added three more kills from Edwards as Siena kept answering Mercyhurst points through the middle of the set. Willmott added an ace, while Diraz and Wire each put down kills from Majtyka to help Siena maintain separation. Mercyhurst scored seven straight points to move from 13-7 down to a 14-13 lead before Siena tied it at 14-14 on a Miller block, but the home team closed the set with back-to-back kills for the 16-14 finish.

Up next, Siena plays Morehead State (3-2) at 11 a.m. on Saturday to conclude play in the Mercyhurst Invitational.