The Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team snapped its seven game winning streak on Sunday afternoon at home, losing to the Niagara Purple Eagles 3-2. The Bobcats are now 14-6 overall and are 6-1 in conference play.
Quinnipiac started off strong with two kills right away from sophomore outside hitter Jen Coffey. Both teams were exhibiting their fluidity and their ability to work together, but after forcing the Purple Eagles into an early timeout, the Bobcats were confident about winning the first set with a 25-15 victory.
The second set played out a little differently. Niagara had gained some momentum towards the middle with a 12-9 lead after a 3-0 run, eventually breaking Quinnipiac’s 18-set winning streak that had started on September 10 with a 26-24 victory. One of Quinnipiac’s noticeable efforts in the second set was three consecutive kills by Allison Leigh.
The senior middle hitter has made a strong comeback after missing all but three games from the 2015 season due to injury. Entering Sunday’s matchup with 96 blocks so far this season, Leigh finished the game with ten more under her belt, scarcely falling short of her 2013 personal record of 136 blocks in one season.
Head coach Kris Czaplinski is elated to have Leigh back on the court.
“She’s a special talent,” he said. “You don’t find people like her normally. She anchors our net play and she’s very good both offensively and defensively and as far as blocking goes, she’s been a great leader to this team.”
The Bobcats came out on top in the third set, matching the Purple Eagles with a 26-24 win. But going into the fourth set, it was evident that Niagara was trying to push this game into five sets.
Czaplinski was emphasizing strengthening defense in the huddle, something that Leigh had no problem implementing into the game and that her teammates had missed.
“Having Allison back is awesome because we look so intimidating at the net,” Coffey said. “As soon as I’m blocking with her, I know the ball is going to go straight down if it hits one of our hands.”
In the fourth set, Leigh and Coffey were a lethal power-duo.
A Coffey kill followed by a Coffey/Leigh block tied it up at 20. Quinnipiac looked more confident than they had the entire game, until things quickly took a turn and Niagara was up by four points, eventually winning the set 25-21.
The Bobcats kept their heads high and bounced back for a strong fifth set, but could not match The Purple Eagles’ momentum, ultimately losing 15-11.
Despite the loss, Czaplinski and his team have a positive outlook on the rest of the season.
“Whether it’s adjustments or time outs, their ability to bounce back has been incredible,” Czaplinski said. “Game to game or time out to time out, they understand the adjustments and understand what needs to be done. They’re very talented.”
Niagara advances to 5-13 for the season and 3-3 in conference play. The Bobcats play at home again on Saturday, October 10 against Fairfield at 1 p.m.
