Fairfield, Conn. — Niagara fell to Sacred Heart in straight sets 25-14, 25-14, 25-17 at the William H. Pitt Center in Metro Conference action Friday night.
The Purple Eagles fell to 2-23, 1-16 Metro, while the Pioneers improved to 19-10, 12-5 Metro.
Set 1: Sacred Heart 25, Niagara 14
Sacred Heart got out to an early 5-0 lead. Rottman's kill finally got Niagara on the board, but Hagedorn answered to make it 6-1.
Kattai gave the Purple Eagles a brief spark with consecutive kills, both set by Paisley Ka'ahanui, to cut the deficit to 7-3. Sacred Heart took five of the next six points, getting a Short kill, a block by Addy Franz and Newton, and a Newton kill, and led 12-4.
Jakayla Brown's kill from a Noel Perkins set made it 12-5, and Taylor Jenkins added a kill off another Perkins set at 13-6. Kattai's last kill made it 16-8, but Hubert answered with a kill and an ace for an 18-8 lead.
Niagara got its best stretch in the closing minutes. Hubert missed a serve, and Brown and Kadence Goolsby then combined for two straight blocks on Hagedorn attacks, making it 18-11. Brown added a kill at 19-12, but Sacred Heart scored five of the final seven points. Franz's serve produced an ace at 23-13, Hagedorn recorded a kill, and Hubert closed the set.
Set 2: Sacred Heart 25, Niagara 14
Sacred Heart again scored the first two points. Hubert had a kill, and Kattai's attack error was blocked by Newton and Hubert. Niagara got its first point on a Franz service error, but Newton scored a kill, Short had an ace against Rottman and Hubert added a kill to make it 5-1.
Lee and Brown blocked Short at 5-2, but the Pioneers scored the next five points. Hagedorn had a kill off a Perkins serve, Hubert had another kill, and Hagedorn scored again, which made it 9-3. Hubert then served an ace against Rottman to make it 10-3.
Sacred Heart led 10-4 before taking control. Short had a kill off a Franz set, Hubert and Newton scored, Short added another, and Newton closed the run for a 19-5 lead.
Rottman put Niagara on its best run of the set. Short's error ended the Sacred Heart run, and Rottman served an ace at 19-7. Hagedorn then hit an attack error, and Kattai's kill, set by Ka'ahanui, made it 19-8. Hubert scored, but Kattai answered with another kill at 20-10, and Lee and Brown blocked Short to make it 20-11.
Kattai accounted for all four of Niagara's kills in the set and also had an ace at 23-14. The Pioneers needed only two more points. Perkins was called for a bad set at 14-24, and Hubert's kill ended the set.
Set 3: Sacred Heart 25, Niagara 17
Niagara took its first lead of the night when Franz was called for a bad set on the opening point. Jenkins scored a kill off a Ka'ahanui set to make it 2-1, but Newton tied it at 2-2 off a Franz set.
Sacred Heart scored the next four points, including a Hagedorn kill and a Hubert kill, and Lee's attack error, blocked by Hagedorn and Antonio, made it 6-2. Jenkins answered with a kill to make it 6-3. Antonio then had three straight kills, with Hubert serving, and Sacred Heart led 10-3 after a 4-0 run.
Niagara's defense kept it in the set. Lee and Brown blocked Hagedorn to make it 10-4. After Hagedorn missed a serve, Brown went up alone to block Antonio for an 11-6 deficit. Short and Hagedorn scored for the Pioneers, and the lead stretched to 14-6. Brown and Goolsby then combined to block Short for 14-7. Rottman's kill off a Perkins set made it 14-8, and Rottman and Jenkins blocked Hagedorn for 15-9.
Short's attack error and a Ka'ahanui ace pulled Niagara to 15-11, its closest of the match, but Sacred Heart scored the next three points, including a Short ace against Rottman. Lee's kill and a Rottman ace cut it to 18-13, and Lee and Jenkins blocked Hagedorn to make it 19-14. Kattai and Brown then blocked Hubert to make it 19-15, but the Pioneers scored the next two points. Hubert had an ace against Kattai, and a Brown kill off a Ka'ahanui set made it 21-16.
Leah Allen, who had one kill on the night, scored off a Perkins set to make it 23-17, but Antonio and Short finished it.
Game Notes
Niagara is now 1-5 all-time against Sacred Heart
Kattai led the Purple and White with seven kills
Brown recorded a career-high eight blocks
Up Next
Niagara closes out the regular season against Fairfield Saturday November 14 at 1:00 pm.
