Siena Defeats Marist in Five; Wins 2014 MAAC Volleyball Championship
MAAC Sports
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Second seeded Siena College defeated top seeded Marist College in the title match of the 2014 MAAC Volleyball Championship at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The first set was exciting back and forth action with no clear advantage for neither the Red Foxes nor the Saints. The set had seven ties and five lead changes before a Rachel Stoklosa kill would give the Siena Saints the final lead change and lead of the set at 14-13. Marist would get as close as one point late in the set at 21-20, but would not score another set point falling 25-20 to Siena.
Siena picked back up in the second set where it left off on the scoring 10 of the sets first 15 points. After a Marist timeout, the Red Foxes would go on a 3-0 run, a 6-1 run, and a 4-1 run to take a commanding 17-13 lead over the Saints. Siena would not get within two points of Marist for the rest of the set falling 25-21. Marist would even up the match at 1-1 heading into the locker room.
Siena led the way for the entire third set, only allowing Marist to come as close as a tie in the early stages. The Saints picked up its largest lead in the set when an attack error by Marists’ Kelsey Lahey gave Siena the 23-17 lead. The Saints would take the set 25-20 on a Meghann Wright kill.
The fourth set proved to be the complete opposite of the third with Marist never surrendering the lead. The Red Foxes quickly gained a 5-1 edge and kept the attack coming, winning the set 25-18. Lahey led the attack for Marist with six kills, while Courtney Shaw and Mackenzie Stephens both had three.
In the fifth and deciding set, Siena got out to a 10-5 lead after a Marist attack error. Marist would then get a kill from Shaw that would lead to a 6-0 Marist run and give the Red Foxes a late 11-10 lead forcing Siena to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Saints reeled off three straights points to regain the lead at 13-11. A Stoklosa kill would give Siena set point, and an attack error from Marist would give Siena its 9th overall MAAC Volleyball title.
Stoklosa led Siena with 18 kills, while Marist was led by Lahey’s 18 kills.
Siena earns the MAAC's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship. The NCAA Division I Volleyball selection show will air live on Sun., Nov. 30, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The first round matches will be on campus sites and determined when selections are released.