The Quinnipiac Bobcats women’s volleyball team took on the Niagara University Purple Eagles Sunday afternoon, but they might as well have been playing against a brick wall. The Purple Eagles earned seven solo blocks and 24 block assists as the Bobcats fell 3-1.

Head coach Kyle Robinson felt there was a simple explanation for the loss.

“I just thought our effort was not great,” Robinson said.

While the defense of the Purple Eagles played a pivotal role in their win, their speedy offense also played a factor. It showed up early in the first set as they took an early lead and never looked back. They finished with just 10 kills, compared to 16 from the Bobcats, but their attacks were efficient as they only committed one error in their 25-21 first set victory.

“It wasn’t like something we weren’t expecting,” Robinson said. “We game-planned for them, I thought, very well. We just didn’t execute well today.”

The Bobcats turned it around in the second set as they limited the Purple Eagles to just two blocks. They earned 16 kills for the second straight set but also put forth their best defensive showing of the game with four blocks.

“We didn’t make many changes,” Robinson said. “It’s just bringing attention to our deficiencies and really bringing more attention to the things that we do consistently every day. If we could just be consistent with those things then we can win at a high level.”

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the set victory came at a cost as they lost sophomore outside hitter Maggie Baker to injury. She had four kills up to that point and was unable to return for the remainder of the game.

The momentum switched sides in the third set as the Purple Eagles’ defense found their stride again and earned 9 total blocks, more than the Bobcats had all game. The Bobcats had two service errors to go along with 12 attack errors that set which led to a 25-15 third set loss.

The Purple Eagles closed out the game with a 25-18 fourth set. It was the most even set statistically for the two teams, but errors again made the difference as the Bobcats made seven attack errors compared to just three from the Purple Eagles.

Junior outside hitter Jaycie Roberts was the key to the Purple Eagles’ victory as she finished as the team leader in kills and digs, with 15 and 22 respectively. Senior outside hitter Caroline Leitch kept the pressure on the Bobcats as she led the Purple Eagles in total attacks with 47.

Sophomore outside hitter Georgia Tselepi continued her improvement and finished with the team lead in kills with 13. Senior libero Alejandra Rodriguez and freshman outside hitter Aryanah Diaz tied for the team lead in digs with 18 each, continuing the pair’s defensive leadership for the team.

The Bobcats split their weekend games for the second straight time. They have yet to complete a weekend sweep since the start of conference play, a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the team.

“We haven’t yet put together a two-day, MAAC-conference kind of weekend where we can play hard on a Saturday and then do the same thing on a Sunday or vice versa,” Robinson said.

The Bobcats topped the Purple Eagles in kills, assists, and digs, but they committed 22 more errors, which put a damper on such an aggressive offensive showing.

“I think our setters need to make better choices,” Robinson said. We can’t consistently set our attackers into a double block and expect them to save us every day.”

Robinson knows an improved cohesive team effort is the key to success during the final stretch of the regular season. They’ll take on the Fairfield University Stags in their next conference game, a team that has yet to lose in conference play. To have a chance against the Stags, the Bobcats must focus on working together.

“If we can’t work as a unit,” Robinson said, “then we can’t be successful in this game at a high level.”