Sophomore Michelle LeSouder had a season and match-high 29 kills Friday night vs. Fairleigh Dickinson. |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Sophomore Michelle LeSouder (Stratford, Ont.) had a season and match-high 29 kills to help lead the Niagara University volleyball team to a 3-1 (24-30, 31-29, 30-23, 30-23) victory over Farleigh Dickinson (2-14) Friday night in front of 218 fans in the Gallagher Center.
The middle hitter hit .250 or better in three of the four games, including .313 in the first game when she had eight kills, three errors and 16 attempts. LeSouder finished with a .250 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Erin Graham (Oakville, N.Y./Oakville Alabama) had 16 kills and a match-high 16 digs. Senior Valerie Arnone (Buffalo, N.Y./Kenmore East) added 11 kills and sophomore Jennifer Hansford (Stratford, Ont.) had 59 assists and a match-high 16 digs.
Fairleigh Dickinson was led by Kristin Risberg who had 17 kills.
"We changed offense this week in practice and we used it in the opening game and didn’t do a really good job with it," head coach Rocco Lucci said. "We stuck with it and in the middle of the match we started to see it come together. We left those kids in and it worked. I have to give my coaching staff a lot of credit. They helped me see the floor and gave me good feedback. It was not only a team win but also a team win on the coaching staff."
Niagara led 26-23 in the second game before FDU tallied three points to tie the game at 27. With it tied at 29 all, the Purple Eagles registered the two winning points on a Knights error and a LeSouder kill.
In game three, Niagara ran out to a 19-14 lead before FDU tallied five of the next seven points to draw within five, 25-20. The Purple Eagles then scored six of the next eight points to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Similar to game three, Niagara held a 20-15 lead before the Knights ran off five points to pull with in one, 20-19. Niagara clinched the match when it scored the final five points after leading 25-23.
Niagara returns to action Saturday at 5 p.m. when it hosts Cornell (6-1) in the Gallagher Center. Cornell and Fairleigh Dickinson play at noon. Admission if free to the public.
