The Niagara Knights women's volleyball program opened the 2017-18 season with a pair of road victories against the Boreal Vipers and the Cambrian Golden Shield.
On Friday October 27th, the Knights earned a 5 set victory over the hometown Golden Shield. After Knights' captain Rachel Rivers (St. Catharines, Ont.) went down with an injury, Niagara went behind two sets to one. The Knights responded by taking the next two sets, earning a very important first road win of the season. The team was paced offensively by 3rd year outside hitter Jordan Koslowski (Hamilton, Ont.), who led the Knights with 17 kills.
When asked about his team's performance, head coach Nathan Janzen was excited about his team's response to adversity. "It was a hard fought match with many long rallies and great defense. I was incredibly proud of how our entire team responded. Nicole Pirillo (Thorold, Ont.) was our player of the game, coming off the bench and being a big difference maker."
With a quick turnaround, the Knights were welcomed by the Boreal Vipers Saturday afternoon. The Knights served especially well, resulting in a 3 set victory (25-18, 25-8, 25-15). This victory pushed the knights to a 2-0 season record. Leading the Knights offensively was 2nd year outside hitter Roberta Dunlap (St. Catharines, Ont.) with 12 kills.
The Knights will be back in action when they host the Mohawk Mountaineers in the annual blue and white home opener Thursday, November 2nd at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. Tip-off is at 6pm.