Lawrenceville, N.J.—Niagara volleyball saw their four-match winning streak come to an end on Saturday as they were defeated in straight sets by the Rider Broncs.

First Set

The first set featured four lead changes along with 10 tied scores. The opening set was full of back forth play as neither team had a lead that was larger then two until the score was 18-15 in favor of Rider. Rider went on to win seven of the next 12 points and took the opening set 25-20 to take the early advantage.

The Purple Eagles had 16 kills in the opening set with Laryssa Imbuzeiro leading the way with four kills as she went 4-4 on her attacks. Janiah Robinson, Jenna Vogen, and Cassie Seminoff all had three kills to start the match. Kylie Blessing had seven assists to lead the Purple Eagles while Casey Brown had six. Niagara tallied just one block in the opening set as Seminoff and Imbuzeiro teamed up for a block.

Second Set

The Broncs controlled the second set as they took a 1-0 lead and never trailed and the set was never tied. Rider jumped out to a 6-1 lead and continued to build the lead and ultimately took the 25-16 win in the set.

Lexi Bapst had a team high five kills in the second set while six Purple Eagles had a kill. Imbuzeiro had three kills while Robinson, Vogen, Seminoff, and Lee all had one kill. Niagara had one block in the set as Lee and Imbuzeiro combined for a block. Both Blessing and Brown had five assists in the set. Bella Peroni had a team high five digs in the set while Brown had three, Imbuzeiro had two and Bapst dug out one.

Third Set

Like the first set the third set was close throughout the set, there were three lead changes and the score was tied 10 times. The Broncs took a 9-5 lead early in the set but the Purple Eagles responded and took the 15-14 lead later in the set. The teams traded points until the score was knotted at 22. Rider went on to take the next three points and closed out the match with the sweep.

Niagara had 17 kills in the third set with Bapst and Liana Tolliver both having five kills in the set. Robinson had three kills in the set, Imbuzeiro had two while Lee and Seminoff each had one kill. Brown led the Purple Eagles with eight assists while Blessing had seven assists. Seven Purple Eagles had a dig in the set with Brown, Tolliver, and Bapst all having three digs.

Niagara Notes

·       Seven Purple Eagles had multiple kills in the match with Bapst having a team high 11 kills. Imbuzeiro had nine kills in the match which was second on the team.

·       Both Blessing and Brown had 19 assists in the match, Peroni also added five assists as the Libero.

·       Every player who appeared for the Purple Eagles was credited with a dig with Peroni having a team high nine.

·       Niagara moves to 4-3 in MAAC play this season as they sit tied with Rider in fourth in the MAAC.

Up Next

The Purple Eagles close out their weekend trip to New Jersey on Sunday as they face Saint Peter's at 1 PM.

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