Lewisburg, Pa.—The Niagara volleyball team traveled to the Bucknell Invitational and faced Ivy League foe Cornell to open the weekend on Friday afternoon. After winning the opening set, the Purple Eagles fell in the next three sets as Cornell took the win.
First Set
The two teams opened the first set trading points and were tied at 10 following 20 points. Niagara went on a 10-2 run and held a 20-12 lead in the opening set. Cornell went on a small run but ultimately could not claw their way back against the Purple Eagles as Niagara took the opening set.
Niagara had a hitting percentage of .325 in the first set, Jenna Vogen hit .571 with four kills. Laryssa Imbuzeiro had three kills with a .600 hitting percentage while Kinga Wronska had three kills with a .429 hitting percentage. Freshman Pairsley Ka’ahanui had seven assists and two aces in the opening set. Niagara had 20 digs with Wronska leading the way with six digs.
Second Set
Cornell opened the second set on a 15-3 run and never looked back. Niagara went on a four point run later in the set but could not recover against the Big Red.
Seminoff, Imbuzeiro, Vogen, and Wronska each had a kill in the set while Ka’ahanui had a team high three digs.
Third Set
Niagara came out swinging in the third set as they jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Cornell quickly responded and the teams were tied at five. Cornell went on a mid set run and made it 17-13 after 30 points. The Big Red went on an 8-2 run to end the set and won the set 25-15.
As a team Niagara had three blocks in the third set with Imbuzeiro having one solo block and two block assists. Payton Lee and Vogen each had a block assist in the set. Wronska had four figs while Casey Brown returned to the lineup and had four digs in her first action of the season.
Fourth Set
The two teams started the fourth set by trading points until they were tied at four. The match stayed even as Cornell took a narrow 8-7 lead after 15 points. The Big Red then went on a 12-7 run and made it 20-14. Niagara took four of the next nine points but could not mount a comeback.
Ka’ahanui had a team high four kills in the fourth set while also having six assists in the set. She also had 29 of the teams 35 sets in the frame. Liana Tolliver had 12 receptions along with six digs in the set, which each led the Purple Eagles.
Niagara Notes
· Niagara drops to 19-14 all-time against Cornell dating back to 1990.
· Vogen had a team high eight kills while Wronska and Imbuzeiro each had seven kills. Eight different Purple Eagles had at least two kills in the match while 10 Purple Eagles had attack attempts.
· Ka’ahanui had 19 assists which is a new season high among Purple Eagles this season.
· Brown played two sets after missing the opening weekend due to an injury. She had one assists and six assists in her first match of the season.
Up Next
Niagara looks for their first win of the season on Saturday as they face Princeton at 12 PM on Saturday and William & Mary at 5 PM on Saturday. It will be the first time that Niagara will face both the Tigers and The Tribe.
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