NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University volleyball team suffered a 30-20, 30-18, 30-20 loss Friday night in the Western New York Invitational at the Gallagher Center. The loss was the first of the season for the Purple Eagles (0-1) while Coastal Carolina improves to 1-3.
The Purple Eagles took a 6-4 lead in the first game after juniors Raelean Rush (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home) and Maurin Lawrence (Corfu, N.Y./Notre Dame) teamed on a block. Behind the service game of senior Kristin Rinne, Coastal Carolina ran off six-straight points for a 10-6 lead. A kill by junior Nakia Thompson gave the Chanticleers a 16-8 lead. Thompson finished with a match-high nine kills. Coastal Carolina used a kill by Jill Nyhof to record the 30-20 victory.
The Chanticleers opened a 6-0 lead in the second game behind two block assists by Ashley Scheible. The Purple Eagles fought back and tied the game 12-12 on a kill by senior Annie Wachob (Buffalo, N.Y./Mount St. Mary’s). Lawrence recorded three kills during the Niagara run. Rinne then served 12-straight points for Coastal Carolina, which took advantage of six Niagara hitting errors.
In game three, Coastal Carolina used three blocks to open a 5-1 lead. Again, Niagara came back to tie the game, 12-12, this time on a kill by sophomore Nicole Piette (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport). Coastal Carolina scored eight of the next 11 points for a 20-15 lead. After Niagara cut the lead to 21-17, Rinne served three-straight points and the Chanticleers coasted to the 30-20 win.
Rush led Niagara with seven kills while Lawrence finished with five. Junior Sara Mancini (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) led the Purple Eagles with a match-high 11 digs.
"Those runs happen because we don’t have the veteran confidence we had in the past," Niagara head coach Rocco Lucci said. "We looked unsure of ourselves out there a lot of the time. The girls said they weren’t confident enough and they’re right, we played tentative. I think some of that’s expected in the first match of the season but it’s strange because we haven’t practiced that way.
"I’m confident we’ll come out and be a different Niagara team tomorrow, that’s for sure," he continued. "We tried out a couple of different things and got some different people playing time. It was a chance to put in some different lineups and try to figure out what’s going to work the best come conference time. I think we learned a lot in these three games."
Niagara returns to action Saturday vs. Quinnipiac at noon in the Gallagher Center.
