Women’s Volleyball Swept by Niagara

NIAGARA, NY– The Merrimack College women’s volleyball team was tripped up by conference foe Niagara University, falling in three sets on Saturday.  
 
The Basics
Score: Niagara 3, Merrimack: 0
Records: Merrimack (6-15, 5-5), Niagara (11-10, 7-3)
 
How It Happened
The Purple Eagles caught an early 5-2 advantage and quickly doubled their lead to make it 10-6. The Warriors responded with four straight points, including a service ace from Sophia DeBonis to narrow the lead to one point. Niagara ignited a 5-1 run to pull away 15-11. Julz Carlat kept the Warriors competitive, delivering three kills late in the first set however, a 5-2 run for the Purple Knights would be enough to take the set 25-21, leaving the Warriors trailing. The Purple Knights scored the first three points of the second set, but the Warriors fought back with consecutive service aces from Mckenna Shotwell to secure a 4-3 advantage. The Purple Knights began to find their footing in the middle of the set, launching an eight-point rally to go up 19-9. The Warriors scored three more points before the end which wasn’t enough to overcome Niagara’s lineup. The Warriors dropped the second set 25-12. Looking to halt Niagara’s momentum, the Warriors ignited a 5-1 run to secure the early advantage. Merrimack held the lead halfway through the set, until the Purple Knights made other plans, maneuvering an 8-3 run to regain the lead. The Warriors capitalized off several attack errors on the Purple Knights side to hold the game to one…