JERSEY CITY, NJ – The Saint Peter's Peacocks volleyball team dropped a three-set decision to the Siena Saints on Saturday afternoon at Run Baby Run Arena, with scores of 19-25, 18-25, and 21-25.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Peacocks opened strong, claiming the first three points of the match thanks to back-to-back kills from junior Elena Bilhartz and a powerful spike from senior Penelope Rivera. However, Siena quickly responded with a five-point run, capitalizing on two Saint Peter's attack errors and delivering kills from Olga Sawinska and Salme Adeele Hollas, taking a 5-3 lead.
Despite a three-point rally by the Peacocks, featuring a kill from Rivera and a service ace from sophomore Crystal Nguyen, the Saints regained control. Siena's consistent attack extended their lead to 18-11. The Peacocks fought back with a five-point stretch, including two kills from Rivera and a block by Bilhartz and freshman Valeria Pagan Munoz, but Siena closed out the set 25-19.
Siena opened the second set with a kill from Hollas, but Saint Peter's quickly answered back with a kill from Rivera and a pair of Siena errors to go ahead 3-1. The Saints quickly responded with a six-point surge, reclaiming the lead at 7-3. Saint Peter's rallied once more, tying the set at 8 after kills from Pagan Munoz, but a strong performance from Siena's Sara Wagner and Ella Treasure helped the Saints pull away again.
Siena built an 18-12 advantage and maintained control, finishing the set 25-18 after back-to-back Peacock attack errors.
In the final set, the Peacocks looked to extend the match, with freshman Skye Graham registering the first point on a kill. However, Siena stayed ahead with key plays from Wagner and Sina Toroslu. Despite the Peacocks holding off match point twice with a Bilhartz kill and a block from Pagan Munoz and sophomore Karolina Rodriguez, Siena closed the match with a solo block from Wagner, sealing the sweep with a 25-21 set victory.
Inside the Numbers:
-
Rivera led the match with 11 kills.
-
Pagan Munoz also tallied 11 kills, hitting .231 on the day.
-
Sophomore Cleopatra Diakou dished out a game-high 18 assists.
-
Bilhartz added five kills and three blocking assists.
Up Next:
The Peacocks return to action on Sunday, October 13, as they host Marist College at Run Baby Run Arena. First serve is set for 1 PM.
For continuing coverage of Saint Peter's University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
