Box Score 

AMHERST, N.Y. – The Niagara volleyball team dropped a Big 4 contest to crosstown rival Buffalo, 3-1 (16-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-16), on Tuesday at Alumni Arena.

After taking the first set and holding UB (5-5) to -.067 hitting percentage, Niagara (5-7) was unable to limit its errors in the last three sets.

Niagara jumped out to an early 9-2 first set lead behind a 7-0 run. The Bulls charged back into the match to cut the lead to 13-10, but the Purple Eagles maintained their poise and closed out the set on a 4-0 run, 25-16. The Purple Eagles won the set despite hitting .029 percent but held UB to -.067.

UB opened the second set with a 7-3 lead, but NU countered with an 8-3 run to take a slim lead and eventually forced a Bulls timeout with a 19-16 advantage. The Bulls, however, would finish the set on a 9-2 run while benefiting from three Purple Eagles error.

The third set was tightly contested with both teams having match-highs in hitting percentage. NU ran off six straight points for a 12-8 lead, but with the match tied at 21-21, UB seized control of the set by scoring four of the final six points.

UB started the fourth set strong and never trailed. Trailing 14-8, NU cut the lead to 16-13 and appeared to be making a comeback until the Bulls won a point on a long rally to increase their lead to 18-14 and finished the set on a 7-2 run.

"We beat ourselves tonight with errors and lack of teamwork," head coach Susan Clements. "We have a lot to fix before we head into the weekend."

Hannah Hedrick and Kari Honomichl both had double-digit kills with 13 and 11, respectively. Sam Morgan extended her double-digit digs streak to 108 matches with a team-high 18 digs.

Niagara opens conference play this weekend with road matches at Iona on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and at Fairfield on Sunday at 2 p.m.