JERSEY CITY, N.Y. – The Saint Peter's University volleyball team (7-18, 2-12 MAAC) dropped a three-set match (14-25, 18-25, 26-28) to Niagara (11-11, 8-5 MAAC) Saturday afternoon at Run Baby Run Arena as the Peacocks split the weekend.
The Peacocks had nine blocks compared to the Purple Eagles' two, but Saint Peter's offense never really found its rhythm.
Karolina T. Rodriguez Mendez had a productive outing, recording a double-double (kills-digs) with 14 kills and 14 digs. She finished the day with a .344 hitting percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE: The Peacocks and Purple Eagles jumped out to a 4-4 tie before Niagara began to pull away from Saint Peter's with some scoring runs. Saint Peter's managed to trade points back and forth with Niagara, staying in it with kills and opposing attack errors. A 6-1 run by the Purple Eagles gave them a 22-13 lead, and they went on to win the set, 25-14, with two kills and an ace.
SET TWO: Saint Peter's fought hard to start set two, slowly building a three-point advantage over Niagara at 9-6. Kills by Rodriguez Mendez and
Elena Bilhartz ended multiple scoring runs made by the Purple Eagles. As the set continued, Niagara took a 17-16 lead over the Peacocks with a kill. Niagara pieced together six straight points to put the Peacocks in a hole they were unable to get out of. The Purple Eagles took set two, 25-18.
SET THREE: The Peacocks went down, 1-4, early in the set, but quickly came back to tie things up at 7-7. Later in the set when the Peaocks trailed by seven, they scored four unanswered points to make it 15-18. A kill by
Lara Martinez followed by a Niagara attack error made it a two-point margin at 17-19. Shortly after, Saint Peter's went on a 6-0 scoring run to take a late lead 23-21. The Purple Eagles tied it up at 23-23 before both teams traded points to a 26-26 tie. A Saint Peter's service error followed by a Niagara kill gave the Purple Eagles the set, 26-28.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks have one last road trip remaining, with matches against Quinnipiac and Merrimack. Saint Peter's plays the Bobcats on Friday, Nov. 7, and the Warriors on Saturday, Nov. 8.
