ERIE, Pa. — Niagara volleyball dropped a three-set decision to Kent State on Friday, falling 25-21, 25-20, 25-20 in a neutral-site match at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
The Purple Eagles fell to 0-4 on the season, while Kent State improved to 3-4.
Set 1
Niagara dug itself an early hole, falling behind 3-0 out of the gate as Kent State's Adalynn Ginley got the Golden Flashes rolling with a kill and a service ace. The Purple Eagles steadied themselves from there, chipping away at the deficit and tying the set for the first time at 5-5 on a Kadence Goolsby kill off a Noel Perkins assist.
From that point, the set turned into a back-and-forth battle with six ties and six lead changes. Niagara briefly grabbed the lead at 9-8 on a Katelynn Rottman kill, and the two teams traded the advantage through the middle of the set. Kills from Rottman and Karlotta Kattai helped Niagara reach a 17-16 lead following a Kent State miscue.
The Golden Flashes answered with a mini-run to tie it at 19-19, and took over from there. A kill, a service ace and a pair of Niagara errors helped Kent State reel off five straight points, pushing the score to 24-19 before the Purple Eagles scored twice late to close within 24-21. Kent State finished it off on a Niagara attack error, taking the opener 25-21.
Set 2
Kent State came out of the gate hot in the second set, scoring the first four points behind a service ace and kills from Vanessa Imoh, Adalynn Ginley and Mercedez Brown. Niagara got on the board on a Payton Lee kill to make it 4-1.
Kent State stretched the lead into a comfortable cushion, going up 12-5 and later 15-9. The Purple Eagles chipped away in spurts down the stretch, at one point pulling within four at 24-20 on back-to-back kills from Lee, but the Golden Flashes closed it out on a Imoh kill, taking the set 25-20.
Set 3
The Purple Eagles opened the third set with a point on a Kent State attack error, but the Golden Flashes answered with four straight to grab a 4-1 lead. Niagara clawed back with kills from Lee and a Rottman service ace to pull within one, then tied the set at 5-5 and again at 6-6 on a Chloe Moreland kill.
Kent State edged ahead 9-6, but Niagara knotted it up again at 9-9, and the set continued to see-saw from there, with the teams tying the score twice more, at 12-12 and 13-13 on a Payton Lee kill. Kent State reeled off points to take its biggest cushion of the set at 20-15. The Purple Eagles made one last push, cutting the deficit to 21-18 and later 24-20, but they couldn't complete the comeback. Kent State closed out the set, and the sweep, 25-20 on a Imoh kill.
Game Notes
Niagara is now 1-3 all-time against Kent State
Payton Lee led the Purple and White with 10 kills
Paisley Ka'ahanui and Noel Perkins both tallied 14 assists
Sole Rancy led the way with four blocks
Up Next
Niagara continues the Mercyhurst Invitational, taking on Columbia Friday September 11 at 5:00 pm.
