Niagara University, N.Y. — Niagara volleyball fell to Rider in three sets 25-19, 25-12, 25-15 at the Gallagher Center in Metro Conference action.
The Purple Eagles fell to 2-19, 1-12 Metro, while the Broncs improved to 8-14, 7-6 Metro.
Set 1: Rider 25, Niagara 19
Niagara came out aggressive. After Rider opened with an ace, Taylor Jenkins went to the service line and the Purple Eagles scored three in a row. A Lee kill came first, followed by two Broncs attack errors, both on double blocks by Lee and Jakayla Brown, for a 4-1 lead. Rider tied it at 4 on a pair of kills. Lee's kill off a Ka'ahanui set put Niagara back in front 5-4, but a Kattai swing was blocked by Bonacci and Kelly to make it 5-5.
With Katie Cook serving, Baker and Bonacci kills made it 7-5. Niagara cut it to 8-7 on kills from Kattai and Brown. A Katelynn Rottman kill made it 11-9, and Lee's kill made it 12-10. On Rottman's serve, Ashley Moreland got a kill to make it 12-11.
Rider answered with a block then picked up two more points on a bad set and a Purple Eagles error for a 15-11 lead. Niagara closed to 16-14 on a Kattai kill and a Goolsby kill.
After a Robinson kill made it 20-16 the Broncs pushed to a 24-16 lead. Niagara scored three straight to get to 24-19, with the first coming on a Bonacci service error and the next two on Paisley Ka'ahanui's serve, a Robinson error and an ace. Rider won the set on a Purple Eagles service error.
Set 2: Rider 25, Niagara 12
Niagara never led in the second set, and its only tie came at 2-2. Kattai scored two quick kills, the second set by Elyannah Sonza, to even it up. Rider took 11 of the next 13 points.
Cook served five straight points to make it 8-2. Baker had three kills in the run. After Kattai got Niagara on the board, Perkins's serve gave Rider a side-out kill by Bonacci. Carly Allen then served four straight points, with kills from Bonacci and Robinson to make it 13-3.
Niagara got three straight to cut it to 13-6. Kattai had a kill, Brown added one from a Rottman set, and Kattai served an ace against Langford. Rider stopped the run, and Goolsby had two more kills off Perkins sets, but the Broncs never let the lead fall below six.
Set 3: Rider 25, Niagara 15
The third set started even. Lee's kill, helped by a Baker block error, tied it at 1. Goolsby's kill off a Perkins set put Niagara up 3-2, its last lead of the match. Bonacci answered with a kill to tie it at 3, and Rider then scored the next several points. A Bonacci ace made it 8-5, and Robinson took over the offense.
Robinson had eight kills in the set. Her kills at 9-5, 10-6, 11-6 and 12-6 helped put Rider up 13-6, with a Rottman attack error blocked by Rohde in the middle. Sole Rancy blocked Robinson with Goolsby at 9-5 to cut it to 9-6, and later teamed with Rottman to stop Kelly at 13-7. Rancy then got a solo block on Rohde to make it 14-8.
Lee's kill off a Rottman set at 22-14 and Kattai's kill off a Ka'ahanui set at 23-15 were the last Niagara points. Rider closed it when Bonacci blocked Rottman.
Niagara Notes
Niagara is now 24-26 all-time against Rider
Kattai led the Purple and White with nine kills
Ka'ahanui led the offense with 12 assists
Rancy tallied three blocks
Up Next
Niagara wraps up the home weekend against Saint Peter's Saturday October 31 at 2:00 pm inside the Gallagher Center.
