SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Niagara volleyball team (3-17, 1-7 MAAC) dropped a non-conference road game at Syracuse (12-9, 4-1 BIG EAST) on Tuesday, 25-18, 25-13, 25-17.

Sophomore Lauren Costello (Webster, N.Y.) attacked at a .286 percentage with seven kills. Freshman Hannah Hedrick (Cincinnati, Ohio) also had seven kills and 11 digs.

"We had a much better effort (Tuesday) against a very tough Syracuse squad," Niagara head coach Susan Clements said. "Our defense and passing were back on track, and our overall togetherness on the court was strong."

Freshman Kathy Bibler (Bowling Green, Ohio) and sophomore Shannon Ryan (Fairport, N.Y.) had five kills, while classmate Sam Morgan (Cincinnati, Ohio) had a team-high 12 digs. Michelle James (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 26 assists.

The Purple Eagles host a pair of MAAC matches this weekend inside the 'Taps' Gallagher Center. They host Rider (1-7) on Saturday and Loyola (1-7) on Sunday.