Match 6
SCORE	Delaware 3 – Niagara 1 (25-10, 25-19, 25-18, 25-20)
RECORDS	Delaware (6-1) – Niagara (1-5)
LOCATION	McDermott Center

 

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Purple Eagles dropped two tough-fought matches to open the Cardinal Classic on Friday, falling to both Delaware and Northern Illinois by a score of 3-1.

Match Summary
First Set

• Delaware took an early lead in set one and never relinquished it. The Purple Eagles came within one points of the Blue Hens, 7-6, but Delaware dominated the rest of the set, allowing NU only four more points.

Second Set

• Niagara bounced back in set two, going on an early 6-0 run, including kills from Jaycie Roberts, Caroline Leitch and Mary Redl, to take a 7-1 lead over the Blue Hens.
• Delaware came within one point of the Purple Eagles, 18-19, but Niagara remained in control, going on a 4-0 run, capped by two kills from Roberts and an ace from Jessica Streuer, to extend its lead, 23-18.
• The set's winning point was a service ace from Roberts, giving the Purple Eagles the 25-19 victory to tie the match, 1-1.

Third Set

• The Purple Eagles got off to a hot start in set three, taking a quick 7-2 lead over the Blue Hens, but Delaware bounced back to take a one-point lead over NU, 9-8.
• Two straight points for NU put the Purple Eagles back in the lead, 10-9, but Delaware scored six straight points to get back ahead, 15-10.
• Niagara was able to keep within a few points of the Blue Hens for the remainder of the set, but Delaware came away with the 25-18 win to take the lead in the match, 2-1.

Fourth Set

• Set four was a battle between NU and Delaware with the lead changing 13 times.
• Niagara and the Blue Hens traded points for the majority of the set. Leitch, Grace Hetterscheidt and Jada Carrol all had two kills early in the set, giving Niagara the one-point lead, 10-9.
• The Blue Hens, however, began to pull away. Leading by one, 15-14, Delaware went on a 4-0 run to take a 19-14 lead over NU and, soon after, went on another four-point scoring streak to lead by eight, 24-16.
• Kills from Hetterscheidt and Redl and an ace from Streuer put the Purple Eagles back within a few points of the Blue Hens, 24-20, but Delaware went on to win the set, 25-20.

Eagle's Eye On…

• Leitch led NU in kills with eight. Roberts added seven kills and Redl had six.
• Emillie Wright recorded a team-high 14 digs.
• Streuer led the team in assists with 15 and Carrol led the team in total blocks with two.

 

Match 7
SCORE	Northern Illinois 3 – Niagara 1 (25-17, 25-23, 25-19, 25-20)
RECORDS	Northern Illinois (3-7) – Niagara (1-6)
LOCATION	McDermott Center

Match Summary
First Set

• The Purple Eagles and the Huskies went back and forth to start the first set before Northern Illinois went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-7 lead.
• The Huskies did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the set and won the first set, 25-17.

Second Set

• The second set was once again a back and forth between NU and Northern Illinois. The Huskies led 6-4 early, but NU scored three straight points, capped by an ace from Leitch, to take the lead, 7-6.
• Late in the set, the Purple Eagles and the Huskies were tied, 19-19. Niagara got back ahead by one, 20-19, before a 3-0 run by the Huskies to give them the lead, 22-20.
• Niagara, however, held steady. Two straight kills from Leitch tied the score once again, 22-22. The Huskies would score one more point before NU scored three consecutive points to close out the set and tie the match, 1-1.

Third Set

• The Purple Eagles and the Huskies kept things close in the third set. Northern Illinois led narrowly, 12-9, before two straight points from the Purple Eagles brought them within one, 12-11.
• Niagara was able to stay within a few points of the Huskies and trailed by just one point again, 17-16, but Northern Illinois began to pull away, scoring five straight points to extend its lead, 22-16.
• The Huskies took set three, 25-19, to take the lead in the match, 2-1.

Fourth Set

• The Huskies jumped ahead, 9-5, in the fourth set, but three points from Niagara put the Purple Eagles within one point of the Huskies, 9-8.
• After tying the score twice, the Huskies led by two points, 14-12, but three points for NU put the Purple Eagles in the lead, 15-14.
• The score was tied four more times through the remainder of the set and Niagara kept within two points of Northern Illinois until the Huskies pulled away late, winning the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.

Eagle's Eye On…

• Roberts recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 kills and a team-high 19 digs. 
• Leitch led the team in kills with 13. 
• Streuer led Niagara in assists with 21. 

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles play their final game of the Cardinal Classic against host Incarnate Word on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 3:00 p.m. EST. 

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