By Cooper Sutton

Contributing Writer

The women’s volleyball team played three matches at the Niagara/Canisius Invitational this past weekend, winning against Canisius but losing against Indiana and Niagara.

The Bison started the tournament poorly, losing in three straight sets to Niagara. Young players kept the Bison afloat, as Ragin Jackson ’13 and Morgan Mientus ’14 both posted hitting percentages of nearly .500 apiece.

The team struggled even more against Indiana. The Bison failed to score more than 18 points in any set and was out-hit .271 to .013. “The Indiana match was a tough loss, the energy was definitely not there, and we lost focus,” Mientus said. Indiana came into the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record.

The highlight of the tournament came against Canisius in a 3-1 victory. The Bison came out strong, taking the first set 25-22. After losing an extremely close second set, the team took off, winning the following two sets for its second victory. This turnout was the Bison’s “most solid match of the season,” Mientus said.

Even with a record of 2-7, the team still believes it can turn things around.

The most notable Bison feat of the tournament belonged to Jackson, who was named to the All-Tournament Team. “Getting named to the All-Tournament team was definitely due to my team having my back and pushing me to be my best, and all of us playing well,” Jackson said. She tallied 19 kills in the tournament, 14 of which came in the win against Canisius.

The team will need Jackson’s help again this weekend to perform well at the Columbia Classic, where they will play Columbia, Fordham and Fairleigh Dickinson.