POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist volleyball team suffered a tough defeat Sunday, falling in straight sets (25-15, 25-19, 25-10) to Niagara in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) match at McCann Arena.
The Red Foxes were led by Mackenzie Stephens (Holland, Mich.) who had nine kills without an attacking error for a .529 hitting percentage. She also added a team-high three blocks. Marisa Gilbert (Pflugerville, Texas) added seven kills and two blocks. Hanna Stoiberg (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Brooke Zywick (Garden City, Mich.) tied for the team lead with six digs apiece while Stoiberg also added 10 assists. Audra Brady (Allentown, Pa.) led the Red Foxes in that category with 14 assists.
The Purple Eagles, the three-time defending MAAC champions, took control from the beginning, scoring the first four points of opening set. Marist (4-8, 0-2 MAAC) was able to close to within one at 4-3, thanks to a service ace from Zywick and a Stephens' kill, and eventually tied the score at six after two kills by Stoiberg and one from Gilbert. Niagara (4-7, 1-1 MAAC) went on a 10-3 run from there however, opening up a 16-9 advantage. The Red Foxes could not draw any closer than six points the rest of the set as Niagara took the frame 25-15.
The second set started out the complete opposite of the first, as Marist opened up with a 5-2 lead on kills by Gilbert, Stephens and Katie Estes (Saugus, Calif.). A block by Stephens and Estes eventually gave the Red Foxes a 10-8 lead, but the Purple Eagles would respond with a 5-1 run to jump ahead 13-11. Kills by Gilbert and Kelsey Lahey (Bowling Green, Ohio) and a block from Gilbert and Courtney Shaw (Centennial, Co.) brought Marist back into a tie at 14-14, but another Niagara 5-1 run reopened a four-point lead at 19-15. Back-to-back kills by Stephens closed the gap to 19-17, but Niagara closed the set on a 6-2 run to provide the final margin of 25-19.
The momentum carried over to the third set for Niagara as they jumped out to a commanding 10-3 lead. A Lahey kill and Gilbert service ace cut the deficit to five, but that would be as close as the Red Foxes would get. A 12-2 run by the Purple Eagles opened up a 22-7 lead that would be too much to overcome. Gabriella Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y.) made her first appearance since the 2010 season in the third set and recorded one kill and one block.
Marist heads back on the road next weekend with MAAC matches at Manhattan on Saturday and Saint Peter's on Sunday. Both contests are scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
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