The Niagara Knights women's volleyball team lost on Thursday night to the visiting Fanshawe College Falcons. A large and boisterous crowd was on hand to watch two top-ten ranked OCAA teams square off in a match that saw the number three ranked Falcons earn a 3-1 victory.
The Knights came out strong in the first set earning a hard fought win, but the veteran Fanshawe team managed to win three straight sets en route to capturing the victory.
The first set for Niagara was very strong. The Knights play was anchored by the powerful outside hitting of Lindsay Murray and Jenna Bray. Bray, a third year Police Foundations student led the Knights with 10 kill, and 11 digs, while Murray finished with seven kills.
Head Coach Joey Martins felt his team "came out well, stuck to the game plan, and finished points" early in the match. The Knights won the first set 25-23.
The women's side started the second set strong taking a 10-8 lead that prompted Falcons Head Coach Mark Peckham to call a time-out. The strategy worked, as the Falcons emerged from the time-out with a renewed sense of urgency that saw the team go on a 6-point scoring streak.
"The middle of second set and beyond we broke down" commented Martins. The veteran Falcons' team consistently managed to keep the younger less experienced Knights team off guard.
"They were able to set their defense a lot better because our passing game just wasn't there tonight. They dictated the game" said Martins.
After the first set loss, the Falcons won the next three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-15, 25-14.
The loss to the 6-0 Falcons drops the Knights to 3-3 on the season. Martins feels that his team needs to "focus on moving forward" as the team will play their next three games on the road before breaking for the Holiday season.
The Knights next game is set for Sunday, November 25th at 12:00pm when the team visits the St. Clair Saints.
