Story by Sports Communication Student Collin Hannigan
November 27, 2022 -The Niagara Knights men's varsity volleyball program took it to the Cambrian Golden Shields but fell short losing 3-1. The set scores were 25-14, 16-25, 21-25, 17-25.
"I thought we came out really strong, I thought our effort level was there. But as Cambrian started to push back, I think we started to just play a little bit small and tentative." Said Niagara College men's volleyball coach Steve Stone. "I don't want to say our guys weren't trying, they definitely were trying. I am happy for the most part with the effort level, but I do think we need to crank it up coming into a big game like that."
During the Knights match against Cambrian, Niagara was led by fourth-year Elijah Bugiardini. The 6'4" OPP from Hamilton, Ontario had 10 kills on 30 attack attempts and was a key factor to the game, most notably for his digs tally at 17.
"Be better" said head coach Steve Stone when asked about the breakdown of tonight's loss. "I think we need to be better in serve, our serve receive broke down and that's going to win or lose games."
After winning the opening match over Cambrian, the Knights broke down and lost three straight sets in some close games and battling hard, but just came up short in the end. The Knights looked good in the first set but after losing in the second set they couldn't find the spark they had in the opening frame. The Knights will take the loss and look forward to their next game and getting back in the win column.
The blue and white were led by Bugiardini and Colin Prelaz, who had eight kills on 30 attack attempts, while the team tallied 39 kills on 114 attack attempts in the loss to Cambrian.
The Knights are 5-3 heading into the final week of OCAA competition and will look to take their next game Saturday December 3rd at St. Clair (4-4). The Knights will roll into their match with the Saints with some fire coming off a loss when they take on St. Clair at 4:00 PM.
