September 29, 2006 - Rider 3 Iona 0
September 29, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Volleyball
Rider University 3, Iona College 0
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.—The only time was 1999. Well, the Broncs get to party like it’s 1999, having defeated Iona for the first time since the last decade ended.
The Broncs swept Iona in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference match Friday night, defeating the Gaels 30-21, 30-24, 30-27.
“It is huge to get any MAAC win,” said head coach Emily Ahlquist. “Especially on the road, this was big for us. Playing against a strong program like Iona and winning in three straight, this shows the players where they stand in relation to the upper half of the conference and is a real confidence booster overall. Iona has a good program.”
The Gaels entered the match have won the last eight against Rider and held an 11-1 series lead coming into the 2006 season.
“Our ball control was really good night,” said assistant coach Michelle Walsh, who was on the ’99 squad that posted the only other win against the Gaels in Rider volleyball history. “We battled in a tough environment and played well as a team.”
For the Broncs sophomore Lacey Johnson (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) [17 digs and 10 kills] and junior Katrina Stehle (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) [14 kills and 10 digs], each scored a ‘double-double’ with senior Megan Smith (Webster, N.Y./Webster) adding 11 kills and six blocks. Smith led Rider with a .348 hitting percentage.
“I thought we came out with a good amount of intensity,” said Johnson who now has seven ‘double-doubles’ this season and 12 in her career. “We got a lot of plays in the middle that normally drop and communicated well with each other to block those attempts. Tonight we didn’t let ourselves get into an early hole and that was key. We didn’t allow Iona to gain any momentum from the crowd.”
As a team, Rider had nine blocks.
“In the past, Iona has been a really tough team for us,” said Stehle who notched her sixth career ‘double-double’ and fifth of the 2006 season. “The freshmen especially didn’t know what to expect. Tonight the crowd was very tough and we overcame that, and that experience for the first-year players and the veterans is going to make us better as we play in the conference. Iona came out strong but we were able to push through and play our own game.”
“Winning tonight will definitely give us momentum going into our match against Siena on Sunday,” said Smith. “Even though we have had some early success on the road, we like playing at home and in front of our crowd because we get energy from their enthusiasm and support. We overcame a lot of heckling tonight and battling through that adversity and that’s the way it is on the road in the conference. We just played through and got the win and played better because of it.”
Freshman Amy Jeary (Depew, N.Y./St. Mary’s) had 25 digs with fellow first-year player JoAnna Winter (Hamburg, Minn./Mayer Lutheran) adding 35 assists.
“If we have good ball control, we can compete with anyone,” Ahlquist added. “We were steady throughout the match and didn’t allow Iona to sneak back into it. There were points here and there but we didn’t allow a big run and that was one of the keys tonight.”
Rider (5-9, 3-2 MAAC) had 11 service aces in the match, three each from Johnson, Stehle and Jeary.
As part of Rider Volleyball alumni day, the Broncs host Siena on Sunday in a MAAC match at 11:00am. The alumni hit the court at 2:00pm and the festivities include a Potluck Dinner in the Hall of Fame area of the Student Recreation Center, adjacent to Alumni Gymnasium.
“It will be exciting, especially for the freshmen to see who came before them,” Smith added. “They don’t really know the players that came before them and they will get to speak with those who battled through the four years and who are now supporting the program and their efforts at Rider.”
“It means a lot to have the alumni of the program coming back,” Johnson added. “It is something that the whole team is looking forward to. To speak with those who came before you and the things that they went through, I think it will be really good for everyone to see the support that we have in the program and for Rider as a whole.”
“Knowing that the alumni are there and supporting us means so much,” Stehle added. “The support that they give us makes you want to work even harder and show them where they got the team in the past and that we are keeping their traditions alive and taking the program to new levels.”
With a friendlier crowd behind them, the Broncs look to beat the Saints for the first time since 2004. “Siena is a good program,” Ahlquist added. “It is going to be an exciting match on Sunday.”
Until then, the team can party like it’s 1999.
-RU-
