After the Quinnipiac Bobcats women’s volleyball team defeated the Marist Red Foxes in the MAAC quarterfinals, they were the lowest remaining seed in the tournament, but, on Saturday night, their Cinderella story was ended by Rider. 

Despite the scoreline being 3-0, the match was an intense thriller. The Bobcats lost sets one and two by just two points. So, although the Bobcat’s MAAC postseason run has come to an end, they certainly did not go down without a fight.  

They led the first set 14-10 at one point, but could not come away with a set victory. 

The Bobcats had more kills than Rider did in the second set, as they recorded 21 kills to Rider’s 15. And this time, they blew an even bigger lead as they were winning 16-10 during the set, but ultimately lost 27-25.

Freshman middle blocker Alexandra Tennon expressed her pride for the Bobcat’s efforts in a tightly contested battle and a hard-fought season, as she concluded her first year as a Quinnipiac Bobcat. 

“I am definitely very proud,” Tenon said. “I think that we all just came together and fought through a lot of adversity this season, a lot of stuff behind the scenes.  I feel like we found a way to battle and just put our best foot out there”

In the third and final set, the Bobcats had 12 kills and 5 errors in comparison to Rider’s 17 kills and four errors. Rider also dominated the match in hitting percentage, recording 30.2% to Quinnipiac’s 21.9%. 

The Bobcats certainly came to play in this MAAC tournament, and they left everything they had out there on the court. The Bobcats had only four less kills than Rider, one less ace, two less assists, and they tied with Rider in total digs. They were so close to Rider in each essential volleyball statistic. 

Although the Bobcats have been eliminated from the MAAC postseason, the players are incredibly optimistic about the team’s future. Senior outside hitter Maggie Baker, especially, was delighted to speak about the Bobcat’s future success which she believes is inevitable.    

“This is the new Quinnipiac. It’s evolving, and I think they’re going to do some really great things next year with a really great group of girls and just build Quinnipiac’s legacy”, Baker said. 

Tennon tied Aryana Diaz for the team lead in kills with 14. Baker had all positive comments in regards to the young Tennon’s performance. 

“She went hard, she took hard swings, had a great attitude, she’s super talented and athletic, and still very very young”, Baker said. 

The Bobcats finish the season with a combined record of 11-18, but the players and coaches are sure they have a bright future ahead of them. They’ll be looking to build upon their MAAC semifinals appearance this season, as they eye a MAAC volleyball championship in 2022.