Bucknell University
Niagara
Bucknell Volleyball Falls 3-0 at Niagara
9/10/2010 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2010
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - Bucknell volleyball made a late push but could not overcome its deficit, ultimately falling 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-23) to Niagara in its first match of the Niagara/Canisius Invitational Friday night. Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./Saint Ignatius College Prep) led Bucknell with 10 kills and a .474 attack percentage.
Mientus did her best to keep the Bison (1-6) in the mix after the team fell behind by two sets. The freshman recorded eight of her career-best 10 kills in the third set. Several of those kills came at key moments for Bucknell. After trailing 15-10 in the third, worked its way back in the set with a 10-5 run. Mientus posted kills at 15-13 and again for 15 all. That opened the door for the Bison's first lead of the set after Niagara (5-4) committed an attack error to put the visiting team ahead 16-15.
The two teams went back and forth for the remainder of the contest, and it looked as if Bucknell might push the match into a fourth set as its young hitters stayed hot. Mientus helped the Bison reclaim a lead at 18-17 and closed the 10-5 run with her final kill of the night. That re-tied the set at 20 all. Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) recorded a block solo for 22-21, and Kristen Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) posted a kill to knot the score at 23-23.
A comeback was not in the cards for Bucknell, however, as miscues crept back into its play. Niagara closed out the match on back-to-back Bison attack errors.
The Purple Eagles held a significant edge in hitting success, posting a .362 attack percentage compared to .072 for the Bison. Niagara also finished the night with a 43-20 advantage in kills.
"We went up against a red-hot Niagara team and didn't step up to the challenge," said head coach Cindy Opalski. "We got some good play from Leylin Marroquin and Morgan Mientus, but after that, we didn't have the offensive firepower to stay in the match."
Bucknell's attack percentage was not helped by a slow start. The Bison took a 1-0 lead in the first set but never regained the advantage. Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) set the score at 2-2 with a kill before Niagara went on a 15-4 lead. Mientus was the first Bison able to slow the Purple Eagles' success, registering her second kill of the night for 17-7.
The Bison was unable to get a handle on the first set, falling by a score of 25-11, and the second set proved to be much of the same. Bucknell took a 2-0 advantage on a service ace from Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit). Niagara then answered with a 9-1 run.
Kamp and Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) chipped in a trio of kills, and Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) added an ace, but Bucknell was never able to string together more than two points at a time. Those struggles gave Niagara the opportunity it needed to walk away with a 25-14 win and a two-set lead.
Despite leading the Patriot League in total blocks per set, Bucknell had a tough time making a dent in that category against the Purple Eagles. The Bison finished with three total team blocks, below its nearly eight per match they were averaging prior to playing at the Gallagher Center.
Joining Mientus among the team leaders was Tauscher with nine assists and Rodriguez with 11 digs. Niagara's Hannah Hedrick and Kari Honomichl shared the Purple Eagles' team high with 10 kills. Michelle James, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, tallied 31 assists, and Sam Morgan finished with 14 digs.
Bucknell will continue play tomorrow with Canisius (2 p.m.) and Indiana (6 p.m.) in Buffalo, N.Y. Live stats and video will be available for both matches at GoGriffs.com. Live internet radio for the match against Indiana is also available at IUHoosiers.com.
