The Siena Volleyball returned home to the UHY Center for the first time this year on Wednesday afternoon, as the Saints fell to the Niagara Purple Eagles in a single match by a final score of 3-1 (22-25, 25-13, 26-24, 25-19).
 
Siena was led by a 13 kill, 14 dig effort from freshman Hailey Hinkel, as well as a team-high 15 kills from Greta Stjade. Senior Dakota Jackson was also in double-digit kills with 12, while Anna Mayer and Gracie Halley chipped in with double-digit digs with 14 and 12 respectively. Mayer also added 21 assists, while Meghan Johnsson also had 23 assists.
 
Niagara's Jaycie Roberts had a match-high 16 kills and 12 digs for a double-double, while Lexi Bapst also collected a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs. Cassie Seminoff added 14 digs, while libero Amanda Darling led the way in that category overall with 23 digs.
 
"There were many bright spots in the tightly contested loss today," said head coach Vilis Ozols. "There were times that we clearly played well enough to win but we gave up runs of scoring and succumbed to a couple of momentum shifts and that was enough to make the difference."
 
The Saints came out strong in the first set, using a 4-0 run that started from a kill off the hand of junior Maddy Dunigan that led to an 11-7 lead. Later in the set, Siena would also execute a 6-0 run to bump their score to a 21-13 lead, ultimately holding off a Purple Eagles comeback attempt and taking the set 25-22. The second set would just about turn 180 degrees for Siena, as Niagara took a 25-13 win to even things at 1-1.
 
Niagara would ride the momentum from their second set win into the third set. With the Purple Eagles ahead 20-16 in the set, Siena would make a run and score in seven straight rallies and take a 23-20 lead. With victory so close, the Saints couldn't hang on as Niagara scored six of the last seven points to win by two and take the 26-24 win. With the 2-1 lead, the Purple Eagles would finish it off in the fourth, ultimately using a 5-0 run to close out the match and win the set 25-19.
 
The Green and Gold scored seven total aces on the match, while both sides were fairly equal in total kills with the Purple Eagles just edging the Saints 57-55. However, Niagara gained their advantage in blocks 13-3.
 
The Saints return to action Sunday, March 28 when they return home to the UHY Center for their final weekend series of the regular season. They will face the Marist Red Foxes in a doubleheader starting at 12 PM.