September 30, 2005 - Rider 3 St. Francis-NY 0

• Box Score

September 30, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Women’s College Volleyball

Rider University 3, St. Francis (NY) College 0

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY— Maybe preparation is overrated. After all, some professional athletes skip pre-season workouts and have all-star seasons. On Friday, the Broncs didn’t have much time to think about having two injured starters out of the line up. With a major traffic jam delaying Rider’s arrival to St. Francis-NY, the Broncs had to change clothes on the bus, and came out strong, defeating St. Francis in three straight games.

“It took us over three hours to get here,” said Rider head coach Emily Ahlquist. “It didn’t give us much of a chance to think about the match. We just rushed through warm-ups and had to concentrate right away, and we stared out pretty fast.”

Rider broke a two-match losing streak and defeated St.Francis 30-25, 30-23, 30-22 to win for the fourth time in the last six matches.

For Rider (6-10) senior Kristine Dormer (Bowie, Md/Elizabeth Seton) compiled eight kills and seven assists. “The match went well, we could have played a little better, but as long as we won, that’s what counts,” said Dormer.

“Kristine was forced to play some middle, as well as her normal right side hitting and back row setting,” said Ahlquist.  “This is the best of both worlds,” said Dormer, a three-year outside hitter who was forced into setting duties this year.  “I’ve been a hitter my entire life, and have really enjoyed setting this year. Tonight I was playing some middle as well and it was great.”

Rider junior hitter Megan Smith (Webster, NY/Webster) and sophomore libero Nastasja Avramovic (Philadelphia, Pa/Northeast) were both out of the line up due to nagging injuries. “Nothing serious, we hope to have both of them back next week,” said Ahlquist.

Rider has a week off before taking part in the Fairleigh Dickinson Invitational October 7-8. “This is a good time for a break, with players banged up,” said Ahlquist.  “This is a good time for a break in the action, both mentally and physically,” said Dormer.  “Coming off two tough losses, we got a win, got some confidence back, and now we can focus on next week. We can get our heads back to where they should be.”

Senior Embrey Minor (Davidsonville, Md/Bowie) had 18 assists Friday night. Junior Nicole Revere (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown) had five service aces and three digs, freshman Lindsay Brant (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach) added eight kills, and senior Stefanie Lombardo (New Castle, Pa/Laurel) added seven kills.

Rider plays Wagner at Fairleigh Dickinson October 7, and Manhattan and host FDU on Saturday.

So maybe now Rider will change on the bus for all away matches.  “We never did that before,” said Dormer, “that was a little strange.” “Our bus driver said he’s never seen traffic like this,” said Ahlquist.  Not to mention he has never seen players changing on his bus before, either.

-RU-