HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Niagara volleyball opened its season falling to Marshall in three sets 25-18, 25-8, 25-16 on Friday at the Cam Henderson Center.
The Purple Eagles fell to 0-1 while the Thundering Herd improved to 1-0.
Set 1
Niagara came out hot, riding three kills from Payton Lee and a pair of kills from Karlotta Kattai and Katelynn Rottman to a 5-1 lead. Marshall clawed back to tie it at 11-11, then used a run fueled by Beatrice Ciccarelli and Marae Reilly. Niagara stayed within reach behind Karlotta Kattai and Lee, pulling to 18-24 late, but Marshall closed it out 25-18. Paisley Ka'ahanui led the Purple and White with seven assists in the set.
Set 2
The second set got away from Niagara early. After trading the first few points with kills from Taylor Jenkins and Kattai, Marshall reeled off a string of points and never let up, eventually pulling away to a 20-6 cushion. Emma Barnett and Logan Henderson combined for several kills during the surge. Marshall closed it out 25-8.
Set 3
The third set opened up much like the second with the teams trading points. Lee and Kattai each added a kill to keep the game close at 4-4. The Thundering Herd then put together three straight points to garner the advantage. Kadee Goolsby and Lee both recorded kills for the Purple Eagles to make it a 10-8 game. Marshall scored seven of the next 10 points to push their lead to 17-11. Kaitlyn Doyle added three kills at the end of the set, but it wasn't enough as Marshall took the final set 25-16.
Niagara Notes
Niagara is now 0-2 all-time against Marshall
Kadee Goolsby, Ashley Moreland, Jakayla Brown and Elyannah Sonza made their collegiate debuts
Karlotta Kattai made her Purple Eagles debut
Lee led the Purple Eagles with eight kills, followed by Kattai with six.
Ka'ahanui ran the offense with 15 assists, with Noel Perkins adding eight.
Up Next
Niagara continues the Herd Classic Tournament August 28 at 5 pm against Ohio.
