Niagara University, N.Y. — Niagara volleyball fell to Siena in three sets, 25-27, 19-25, 15-25 on senior day Saturday at the Gallagher Center.
The Purple Eagles fell to 2-22, 1-15 Metro Conference, while the Saints improved to 18-12, 12-4 Metro.
Set 1: Siena 27, Niagara 25
Niagara took its first lead at 4-3 when Taylor Jenkins served an ace. Siena answered with a 5-0 run to go up 15-12, then built a 20-16 lead. Niagara ran off four straight points to tie it at 21, then three more for a 24-22 lead and set point.
Siena scored the next three points, aided by a Purple Eagles attack error at 24-24 and an ace from Autumn Willmott. Kadee Goolsby tied it at 25 with a kill off a Noel Perkins set. Siena's Mary Claire Deacy and Maggie Seymour finished it with kills.
Set 2: Siena 25, Niagara 19
Siena never trailed after the opening point, and it went ahead for good on a five-point run on Willmott's serve.
Trailing 9-7 after a service error, Niagara gave up six straight points. Willmott served five of them. Payton Lee ended the run with a kill, but Siena led 14-8.
Niagara made a late push, with Ashley Moreland's ace and Doyle's kills part of a 3-0 run that made it 20-15. Another three straight points got it within 22-19. Siena then won the last three points, closing it on a Hannah Bowman ace and a Saints block.
Set 3: Siena 25, Niagara 15
Niagara started with a Paisley Ka'ahanui ace and led 4-2. Siena then ran off six straight points, five of them on Brianna Miller's serve with two aces, to take an 8-4 lead.
Niagara never got closer than two after that. The Purple Eagles got within 15-12 and then 16-14 when Goolsby put away a Perkins set. Siena answered with three straight points and led by as many as seven. Willmott served the last five points, with Siena winning the set on a 6-0 run that included three aces.
Niagara Notes
Niagara is now 28-30 all-time against Siena
Ka'ahanui recorded her 1,000 career assist
Kattai led the Purple and White with 13 kills
Doyle tied a career-high in kills with eight
Ashley Moreland tallied 18 digs
Up Next
Niagara heads into the final weekend of the regular season on the road against Sacred Heart Friday November 13 at 7:00 pm.
