In a pivotal weekend of MAAC play, Quinnipiac volleyball swept both Canisius and Niagara to improve to 9-2 in conference, and eclipse .500 overall for the first time this season at 12-11.
Coming into the weekend, Quinnipiac sat behind only the undefeated Fairfield, and had just a one game advantage over both looming opponents.
The Saturday matchup for the Bobcats was in Buffalo, New York as they took on Canisius. In a tightly contested first set, Quinnipiac stared down game point twice. Two timely kills from graduate opposite Elena Giacomini shifted the momentum and gave the Bobcats a 28-26 win.
That would be the biggest fight the Golden Griffins put up, as the second set featured a seven point run from Giacomini, seven kills from sophomore outside Leilani-kai Giusta, and only 11 total points from the home team.
In the third, junior setter Damla Gunes put up 13 assists as Canisius could not mount a comeback, falling 25-19. Giacomini was the highlight for the Bobcats, leading the team in kills (16), service aces (3) and digs (15). Giusta also put up double digit kills (11) and digs (13). This was the fourth consecutive Quinnipiac victory over Canisius.
The Bobcats had what might seem to be a challenging opponent on Sunday, Niagara. In the 12 years since joining the MAAC, Quinnipiac had never beaten Niagara on the road. Even the past two seasons, where the it went 24-12 in conference, it was were twice defeated at the Purple Eagle’s Gallagher Center.
The first set was dominated by junior outside hitter Yagmur Gunes. Early on, she blasted her fifth kill ball past the Niagara block that put the Bobcats up 10-5. They coasted through the rest of that set, ending with a six point run from Yagmur that was capped off by a Giacomini kill the Purple Eagles’ backrow could not handle. The Bobcats took the first set 25-11 off of a .481 team hitting percentage.
Another major storyline for the Bobcats this weekend was the return of senior libero Fa’ave Kimsel Moe to the starting lineup. After being benched midway through the Saint Peter’s game on Sept. 29, Kimsel Moe has not played much, putting up just five digs amidst the emergence of first year libero Carola Negron Diaz.
However, after an injury to Negron Diaz, Kimsel Moe was given another chance at a starting slot. She capitalized on that opportunity, notching eight digs against Siena before anchoring the Bobcats’ defense against Niagara.
The second set started choppy for the Bobcats. After a tip attempt by junior middle blocker Milena Silva landed out of bounds, they were down 6-3. Back-to-back blocks by Silva and Yagmur Gunes brought them within a point. After a trio of hitting errors from Quinnipiac, Niagara appeared on the verge of pulling away with a 12-8 lead.
They were halted by some scrappy Quinnipiac defense, allowing the offense to generate enough points to tie the game. Its first lead of the set came after an out of system Giacomini bump set to Giusta for a big momentum shifting kill.
Later on, junior middle blocker Bailey Brashear recorded back-to-back aces to give Quinnipiac a 21-15 lead. That would set up Yagmur Gunes to earn two straight kills to win the set by four.
In the third, there was a 54 second rally from Quinnipiac that saw the ball go over the net 14 different times. A tip from Giusta ended the lengthy play and put the Bobcats up 5-2. Shortly thereafter, Giacomini forced a Purple Eagle timeout with two straight kills.
The rest of the set was largely uneventful, as the Bobcats soared over the Golden Griffins to a 25-15 win, earning a 3-0 sweep for the second day in a row.
Kimsel Moe totaled an astounding 23 digs against Niagara. That is not only her season high in the category, but it is also tied for the third highest for any player in a three set match in the MAAC this season. Giusta, Giacomini and Yagmur Gunes all put up double digit kills and Damla Gunes put up 27 assists to give her 61 on the weekend.
With the big weekend, the Bobcats extended their winning streak to seven, marking the longest streak during Kyle Robinson’s tenure as head coach. They’ve also cemented themselves as premier players in the MAAC this season, remaining in second place and guaranteeing they won’t finish below .500 in conference.
Quinnipiac returns to action Oct. 30, traveling to Massachusetts to take on Merrimack at 7 p.m.
