LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — Despite mounting a spirited comeback from two sets down, the Niagara volleyball team fell to Merrimack in five sets (25-27, 16-20, 25-15, 25-19, 15-12) Thursday in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament at UHY Center.
 
How it Happened
The Purple Eagles (15-15, 11-7 MAAC) showed resilience after dropping the first two sets, dominating the third and fourth frames before ultimately coming up short in the decisive fifth set against the Warriors (10-20, 8-10 MAAC).
 
Kinga Wronska led Niagara's offense with 18 kills while Liana Tolliver added 14 kills. The Purple Eagles found their rhythm in sets three and four, hitting .220 and .209 respectively, after struggling with a negative hitting percentage in the second set.
 
Niagara seized momentum in the third set with a commanding 25-15 win and maintained control through a 25-19 fourth-set victory to force the deciding frame. The Purple Eagles built an early 4-1 lead in the fifth set but couldn't hold on as Merrimack rallied.
 
The match featured 28 tie scores and 13 lead changes, highlighting the competitive nature of the contest.
 
The loss ends Niagara's season while Merrimack advances in the MAAC Tournament.
 
Niagara Notes
•  The Purple Eagles move to 1-1 all-time against Merrimack.
•  Niagara is 0-3 in its last three MAAC Tournament games.
•  Peroni notched 27 digs bringing her season total to 555, which ranks eighth all-time by a Purple Eagle in a single season. Her 1,338 career digs rank seventh all-time.
•  Imbuzeiro finished the contest with a team-high six blocks, giving her 144 for the season, fourth-most all-time.