A consistent offensive effort and impressive blocking powered Niagara to a clean sweep of Marist, sending the Red Foxes back to Poughkeepsie with a third straight loss.
Senior outside hitter Sydney Wilkes and junior middle hitter Janiah Robinson each swung for stellar hitting percentages (.417 and .375) and combined for 20 kills in the Purple Eagles (9-10, 9-2 MAAC) 3-0 win at the Gallagher Center.
Despite having three hitters reach double-digit kills, the Red Foxes (7-16, 5-6 MAAC) struggled on offense, recording 24 attack errors in just three sets.
Freshman outside hitter Mallory Reck led Marist with 12 kills, and her outside hitter counterpart, junior Sara Dasic, returned from an ankle injury. Dasic came back earlier than expected to display a gutsy performance, ending with 17 digs.
While the Purple Eagles controlled the early going, the Red Foxes hung tight until a 5-1 Niagara stretch put them up 17-12. Though the Purple Eagles struggled offensively in the set, hitting .098, Wilkes shone with six kills on only 10 swings – the outside hitter finished the match with 12 kills.
Trailing 23-19, the Red Foxes mounted a late set run, winning five of six points to knot the score at 24, fighting off three set points in the process. The late comeback proved to be in vain; Niagara swiftly won the next two points to escape the first set with a 26-24 victory.
Marist got strong contributions from its middle hitters in the first set, a position that had not provided much offense so far in MAAC play. Sophomore Sarah Bumstead led Marist with five kills, and redshirt junior Mikayla Keefer slammed two of her own.
The Red Foxes’ four pin hitters only converted on seven of their 38 swings in the set, while the team as a whole only hit .117.
The near-improbable comeback to steal the first set proved to be Marist’s best and last chance to take control of the match.
Niagara overpowered Marist in the second set to take a 2-0 advantage; the Purple Eagles’ offense started humming, posting a .323 hitting percentage and only committing two errors. Additionally, they blocked four Marist attacks and aced them twice.
Similar to Friday night’s loss to Canisius, the Red Foxes began playing their best volleyball when in a two-set-to-none hole. Again, it was too little too late.
Marist grabbed an 11-7 lead, but a 5-1 Niagara run quickly erased the Red Foxes’ advantage. Niagara and Marist split the ensuing 16 points, leaving the set tied at 20. There, a kill by junior right-side hitter Payton Lee and a block from redshirt sophomore middle blocker Taylor Jenkins and Lee put Niagara on the doorstep.
Reck swung for a tool to bring Marist within one after a successful challenge by head coach Sean Byron, but graduate student setter Claire Lewis committed a double contact violation on the next point, preventing Marist from re-tying the score.
The Red Foxes and Purple Eagles traded the next two points before Wilkes’ 12th kill of the match clinched Niagara the win.
Next, Marist takes on Siena on Tuesday for a crucial matchup with the Saints: a team the Red Foxes are fighting with for the sixth and final position in the MAAC Tournament. The first serve in the UHY Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Edited by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo by Celia Green
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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