NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
SCORE: No. 7 Quinnipiac 3, No. 6 Niagara 2 (25-22, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23, 15-13)
RECORDS: Quinnipiac (9-20, 7-11 MAAC), Niagara (9-19, 9-9 MAAC)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, F.L. — The Niagara volleyball team’s season came to a close on Wednesday after the sixth-seeded Purple Eagles were defeated by the seventh-seeded Bobcats, 3-2, in the first round of the MAAC Championships.
Match Summary
First Set
- The Purple Eagles and the Bobcats went back and forth in set one; the score was tied 10 times over the course of the first set.
- Niagara and Quinnipiac were tied, 13-13, before the Bobcats went on a 4-0 run to take a 17-13 lead.
- Niagara scored two straight points and trailed only by two points, 17-15.
- The Bobcats’ lead remained narrow, but they were victorious in the first set, 25-22.
Second Set
- The Purple Eagles went on two 3-0 runs early in the second set to take a 6-1 lead over Quinnipiac.
- Another 3-0 run from NU, including two kills from Caroline Leitch, kept Niagara’s lead at five points, 13-8.
- The Bobcats came within two points of Niagara, 14-12, but the Purple Eagles answered with four straight points to maintain the lead, 18-12.
- Niagara allowed Quinnipiac only five more points and closed out the second set on a 4-0 run. NU won set two, 25-17, to tie the match, 1-1.
- The Purple Eagles recorded an impressive nine blocks in the second set.
Third Set
- Niagara got off to a quick start in the third set, taking a 9-2 lead over the Bobcats.
- The Purple Eagles were ahead 13-7 before a 5-0 run from the Bobcats left them trailing NU by only one point, 13-12.
- Niagara led 22-20 late in the set, but the Bobcats picked up momentum, scoring five straight points to win the set, 25-22, and take the match lead, 2-1.
Fourth Set
- The Bobcats led the Purple Eagles 15-9 midway through the fourth set, but the Purple Eagles went on a 4-0 run, including kills from Leitch and Grace Hetterscheidt and an ace from Jessica Streuer, to trail by only two points, 15-13.
- The Bobcats led the Purple Eagles, 23-21, late in the set, but Niagara went on a 4-0 run, capped by a kill from Hetterscheidt, to win the set, 25-23, and tie the match, 2-2.
Fifth Set
- Niagara and Quinnipiac went back and forth in the fifth set. The Purple Eagles led, 13-10, but the Bobcats scored five straight points to win the set, 15-13, and the match, 3-2.
Eagle’s Eye On…
- Hetterscheidt set a program record for block assists in a match with 12. She also added 12 kills.
- Leitch recorded her fourth double-double of the season with a team-high 15 kills and 16 digs.
- Streuer recorded her team-leading 14th double-double of the season with a team-high 34 assists and a team-best 19 digs. Streuer’s 19 digs are a career-high.
- Jaycie Roberts added 18 digs, Emillie Wright had 16 digs and Mary Redl had 12.
- Leitch and Jada Carrol each recorded seven total blocks while Cameron Maris had six total blocks.
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