LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Niagara Purple Eagles volleyball team had its five-match winning streak halted in a straight set defeat by Rider on Sunday.
In the opening set, Niagara scored four straight points to tie the set at 20-20. The Broncs answered by scoring five of the next six points to take the set. Rider led 19-11 in the second set before the Purple Eagles trimmed the deficit to 21-16. However, the Broncs pulled out a 25-19 win. Leading 11-9 in the third set, Rider used a 9-2 run to pull away.
Niagara’s five-match winning streak entering today’s match was its longest since 2012. The Purple Eagles haven’t won at Rider since 2012. Alexis Gray had a team-high 24 assists and 10 digs for her team-leading ninth double-double of the season. Nicole Matheis led Niagara with 10 kills. Rylee Hunt extended her double-digit digs streak to 22 matches with a match-high 22 digs. Hunt passed Hannah Hedrick (’11) for third all-time in career digs (1,486).
Head Coach Vilis Ozols said, “Rider came out stronger today in each aspect of the match. That was a good example of a team protecting their home court.”
The Purple Eagles start a five-match homestand beginning at 2p.m. Saturday against Marist.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
