NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — The Purple Eagles opened conference play, and earned their first win of the season, on Saturday with a four-set victory over the Siena Saints.
Match Summary
First Set
- Niagara took a quick 5-2 lead in the first set and in its first matchup with former head coach Vilis Ozols. The Saints went on a 5-0 run to claim the lead, 7-5, nut NU quickly tied things up, 7-7.
- The Purple Eagles and the Saints went back and forth, keeping things close until the end of the set, but Siena was victorious in set one, 25-20.
Second Set
- The score was tied nine times in the second set. The Purple Eagles went on a 4-0 run early on, which included two kills from Cameron Maris, to take a 6-3 lead over the Saints. The Saints worked their way back and the score was tied, 8-8.
- Kills from Alex Paris and Maris put NU back on top, 13-10, but Siena soon went on a 6-0 run to take the lead, 18-15.
- Niagara battled back with the help of two kills from Mary Redl to tie the score once again, 21-21. A few rallies later, the score was knotted again, 24-24. A service error from the Saints put NU back on top and a kill from Caroline Leitch iced the 26-24 set two victory for the Purple Eagles and tied the match, 1-1.
Third Set
- Another battle between the Purple Eagles and the Saints ensued in the third set. Niagara jumped out to an early 10-4 lead over Siena. The Saints began to narrow the gap, but consecutive kills from Leitch and Jaycie Roberts kept the Purple Eagles on top, 13-9.
- A 3-0 run from the Saints left them trailing by only one point, 13-12, but the Purple Eagles answered with a scoring run of their own, winning four consecutive points to extend their lead, 17-12.
- The Saints soon went on a 4-0 run to usurp NU’s lead, 21-18, but Niagara held strong and came back to tie things up, 23-23. Two straight errors from the Saints capped the third set, giving the Purple Eagles a 27-25 win and 2-1 match lead.
Fourth Set
- The fourth set played out much like the first three, with the Purple Eagles and the Saints keeping things close. Niagara led the Saints, 11-9, but Siena went on a 5-0 run to take the 14-9 advantage.
- The Saints kept control of the lead for a bit, but the Purple Eagles went on a 5-point scoring streak, reclaiming the lead, 17-15.
- NU and Siena went back and forth, but the Purple Eagles began to pull away late, taking a 24-20 lead over the Saints. The Saints would score two more times, but a kill from Redl cemented the 25-22 set victory and earned the Purple Eagles their first win of the season.
Eagle’s Eye On…
- Paris led the Purple Eagles with a career-high 14 kills, 10 of which she recorded in the first two sets. She also led the team with 15.5 points.
- Jessica Streuer recorded 42 assists, setting a new career-high. She also added a career-high 11 digs.
- Maris had a career-best six total blocks (one solo block, five block assists), while also recording a career-high 10 kills.
- Leitch led the Purple Eagles with a .733 hitting percentage, tying her career-high.
- Emillie Wright had a team-high 20 digs, which is only one short of her career-best.
- Roberts’ 11 kills against the Saints are her season-high.
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles’ first MAAC weekend of the season continues on Sunday, Sept. 16 with a match at Marist at 1:00 p.m.
All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.
