NIAGARA UN., N.Y. – In the final contest of the WNY Classic, the volleyball team (1-5) dropped a four-game match to Fordham University (5-4), 30-27, 30-19, 23-30, 30-14, Sunday evening. Senior Maurin Lawrence (Corfu, N.Y.) was named to the WNY Classic All-Tournament Team.

Lawrence led the way for the Purple Eagles with 15 kills and a .333 attack percentage in the loss. Throughout the tournament, the middle hitter had a team-high 33 kills to help Niagara to a 1-2 record.

"We need to be able to start strong at the beginning and stay consistent," Niagara head coach Susan Clements said. "Once we begin to do that, we will see great improvement."

Senior Mallory Boron (Lockport, N.Y./Starpoint) recorded a double-double with 31 assists and 10 digs. The setter also had four kills, four aces, three blocks and a .300 attack percentage.

The first game of the match was a back-and-forth affair, with the Rams pulling away late after a stretch of six-straight points. The Purple Eagles struggled in the second game, falling 30-19 while hitting just .083.

Niagara fell behind in the third game, but rebounded midway through the period behind the serving of Boron. The senior took the ball trailing 14-10 and rattled off eight consecutive points, including two-straight aces.

Lawrence and Raelean Rush (Amherst, N.Y.) added back-to-back kills to make the score 29-22 before Boron added another ace for the victory. Rush finished the contest with 10 kills and eight digs.

Senior Sara Mancini (Lancaster, N.Y.) had a team-high 14 digs for Niagara while freshman Rebecca Suchy (Lancaster, N.Y.) added 12.

"It should great spirit in our team to come back trailing by two games," Clements said. "We are going to focus on the positive and keep working on our goals."

The WNY Classic is a tournament held at the University of Buffalo, Canisius College and Niagara University. The 11-team tournament ended with 11 players named to the All-Tournament Team.

WNY Classic All-Tournament Team
Kanisha Kellam, Jr., MB, Albany
Ashley Allen, So., S, Binghamton
Lizaiha Garcia, Sr. L, Buffalo
Brittany Gerde, Jr., S, Canisius
Christi Griffiths, Fr., MH, Fordham
Maurin Lawrence, Sr., MH, Niagara
Kristina Fabris, Sr., RS, South Florida
Diana Colon, Jr. OH, St. Francis, NY
Jill Meyer, Jr. RS, Valparaiso
Tammy Wolf, Jr., MB, West Virginia
Maddie Sueppel, Fr., MB, Wisconsin-Milwaukee