T'Wolves take down Onondaga in four sets, split home regional pod

After a three-set sweep in Rochester Thursday, SUNY Niagara women's volleyball won over Onondaga in four sets and lost to Corning in four sets to split their latest NJCAA Region III pod Saturday in Sanborn. This marked the sixth of seven regional pods on the Thunderwolves' schedule this season. 

SUNY Niagara 3, Onondaga 1 

The Thunderwolves began their day with a victory over the Lazers in four sets, 25-21, 25-14, 14-25, 25-21. This marked SUNY Niagara's first win against Onondaga since a three-set sweep on Nov. 1, 2014 (3,996 days). That was the first of two wins the Thunderwolves posted the Lazers that season, with the first time in a three-set finish at the Jefferson CC Pod on Oct. 18.

Ava Roberts recorded a team-high 20 kills and 14 digs for her first double-double of the season. Cait Cliffe recorded 17 kills and a team-best 15 digs in what was her first of two double-doubles on the day.

Ava Gaudy recorded 45 of the Thunderwolves' 49 assists and had three digs. Nevaeh Hall had four of the team's 10 serving aces along with five kills and 11 digs. Alexis Majka had seven kills, two blocks, one service ace and one dig.  

Sariah Tindal had three assists and one dig and Jordan Smith added three digs. Roberts and Gaudy each had two service aces and Majka and Cliffe added one apiece.

Corning CC 3, SUNY Niagara 1

The Bears defeated the Thunderwolves in four sets, 25-23, 25-21, 13-25, 25-20.

Cliffe recorded her second double-double of the pod with a team-high of 16 digs and 12 kills and had six of the Thunderwolves' 16 service aces. Roberts had a team-high 13 kills along with four service aces, two assists and three digs.

Gaudy posted 33 of the team's 43 assists and added four kills, two service aces and two digs. Hall had seven kills, three digs, one assist and one service ace. Majka had five kills and a team-high two blocks.

Samantha Knobloch had a team-high six assists, one serving ace and one dig. Tindal had four digs and two service aces. 

NOTES:

The victory against Onondaga marked the first time SUNY Niagara posted consecutive wins this season, dating back to the home win versus Roberts Wesleyan JV on Thursday.

With the 20 kills and 14 digs against Onondaga, Roberts posted her first career double-double. This is also the first time Roberts has posted double-digits kills in consecutive contests (20 against Onondaga, 13 agaisnt Corning.) The 14 digs against Onondaga were also her most since she posted 10 versus Monroe on Sept. 4.

Including 17 against Onondaga and 12 against Corning, Cliffe now has 14 contests with double-digit kills this season and 21 times in her career. Dating back to a 16-kill outing vesus SUNY Broome on Oct. 12, 2024, Cliffe has now posted double-digit kills in 18 of her last 24 matches. Named the NJCAA Region III Player of the Week on Sept. 30, Cliffe also established a new season-high of 16 digs in the loss against Corning. Cliffe also tied her career-high of six service aces against Corning, reaching the mark for the first time since a 3-1 win against Herkimer on Oct. 19, 2024. Cliffe is the team leader in kills (238) and digs (128) and has 569 kills and 408 digs in 38 matches. 

With 45 against Onondaga and 33 against Corning, Gaudy has recorded double-digit assists in nine consecutive matches, extending the longest streak in her SUNY Niagara career. The 78 combined assists were the most in a regional pod this season for Gaudy, breaking her previous mark of 64 total against Erie CC and SUNY Broome on Sept. 27. The NJCAA Region III Player of the Week on Sept. 23, Gaudy now has 855 assists in 38 career matches, now the most by a Thunderwolf in the last 10 seasons (since 2016). 

Hall recorded a new career best of 11 digs against Onondaga after previously posting seven against Jamestown on Sept. 25 and Genesee on Oct. 5. She later posted a new career best of seven kills against Corning. 

Knobloch posted a new personal best of six assists during the Corning contest. The freshman previously had a season-high of four during a NJCAA Region III pod against host Finger Lakes on Sept. 20.

SUNY Niagara (5-13) concludes its regular season when it travels to its seventh and final NJCAA Region Pod at Erie CC Oct. 18 in Buffalo. The Thunderwolves will face Mohawk Valley at 10 a.m.