Rider runs win streak to three games
By Lauren Amour
Sophomore hitter Meredith Pellegrino extended the winning streak of the volleyball team against MAAC opponents, with a 3-0 victory against Fairfield on Oct. 20 and a 3-1 win over Quinnipiac on Oct. 21.
Pellegrino ignited against Fairfield with 15 kills and a .364 hitting percentage. Impressively, in just two matches against the Stags this season, Pellegrino has recorded 33 kills in eight sets.
Following her performance against Fairfield, Pellegrino was named MAAC Volleyball Player of the Week on Oct. 23. The award was the first honor of her collegiate career.
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Senior hitter Hailey Riede and junior hitter Alexa Shello also contributed offensively by allotting seven kills each. Freshman setter Anilee Sher continued her strong play by posting 30 assists and eight digs for the match. Junior blocker Caprice Clarke set a career-high with five block assists.
Junior libero Rachelle Runyon had a 14-dig match for the Broncs, while sophomore setter Danielle Blanco and sophomore libero Brynn Sherbert combined for 13 digs.
Rider’s 37 kills, 33 assists, seven service aces, seven blocks and 47 digs took advantage of 25 attack errors and four service errors by Fairfield during the match.
Rider’s 3-0 win by scores of 25-21, 25-19 and 25-19 snapped a previous six-match losing streak against the Stags.
Pellegrino once again lead the Broncs in dominant fashion against the Quinnipiac Bobcats in MAAC play with a match-high 16 kills. The sophomore’s offensive explosion marked the fifth MAAC match this season in which she had 10 or more kills, and her second straight with 15 or more.
The Broncs led 2-1 going into the fourth frame. However, Quinnipiac, riding on a two-match winning streak, led 23-21, forcing a Rider timeout to be called. The Broncs quickly bounced back by scoring the final four points of the match thanks to a block from Shello.
Along with Pellegrino, Riede registered 14 kills; Shello had 12, and also tied a career-high with two block assists. Sher completed another double-double for the season, with 52 assists and 16 digs. Her 12 double-doubles lead the team and it was the third time this season in which she had 50 or more assists.
Senior hitter Perry Williams tied a season-high with seven block assists, her fourth match this season with seven or more.
Runyon led the Rider defense with 20 digs, her 18th straight match with 10 or more digs. Blanco had nine digs for the match.
Rider won the match 3-1, by scores of 25-22, 19-25, 25-21 and 25-23. This was the Broncs third league match in a row. The team had 56 kills, 55 assists, three service aces, a season-high 15 blocks and 60 digs against 25 Quinnipiac attack errors.
The Broncs’ back-to-back wins brought their overall record to two games over .500 at 11-9 and their MAAC record to 7-5.
Up next for the Broncs is a non-conference match-up against Fairleigh Dickinson on Oct. 24 in Alumni Gymnasium.
