NIAGARA, Wis. – Not many volleyball outcomes are better than sweeping a pair of conference opponents at home.

The Niagara Lady Badgers did just that Tuesday when they took down St. Thomas Aquinas Academy 25-13, 25-20, 25-13 and roared back to knock off Coleman 18-25, 21-25, 25-14, 25-15, 15-13.

“I am immensely proud of the hustle and the grit the team showed to take away two (M&O) conference wins tonight,” Niagara coach Maryellen Allred said. “Beating Coleman was a huge feat as our team struggled with another injury in the middle of the match when we were down 0-2. We came back and reverse swept them despite this challenge.”

Bristol Sanicki led a balanced hitting attack with 16 kills on the night. Sydney Swanson contributed 15, Alivia Kleikamp chipped in with 10 and Alyssa Hedmark added eight.

Elesia Sweig and Lily Steinbrecher directed the Niagara offense with 34 and 16 assists, respectively, while Grace Payette served 16 aces and Sanicki added nine.

Payette also topped her team with 37 digs to go with 22 from Swanson, 18 from Sanicki, 17 from Sweig and 10 from Brooke Bruemmer.

Sanicki and Kleikamp notched two blocks each.

“The last few weeks our team has had to rework some things, and tonight was our first real chance to prove who we can be,” Allred said. “I was very proud of all my athletes and especially the few girls who got thrown into new roles on the fly. Also, I am starting to see some of my other athletes take leadership roles during play which helps our team morale.”

Niagara stats

Elesia Sweig, 2 aces, 2 kills, 34 assists, 17 digs

Lily Steinbrecher, 3 aces, 1 kill, 16 assists, 7 digs

Sienna LaRock, 1 dig

Lexi Champagne, 4 digs

Jaelyn Kleikamp, 3 kills, 1 assist, 5 digs

Bristol Sanicki, 9 aces, 16 kills, 2 blocks, 3 assists, 18 digs

Alyssa Hedmark, 8 kills, 3 digs

Grace Payette, 16 aces, 4 kills, 37 digs

Lexi Johnston, 3 kills, 8 digs

Annalee White, 2 digs

Brooke Bruemmer, 1 assist, 10 digs

Alivia Kleikamp, 10 kills, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 2 digs

Sydney Swanson, 4 aces, 15 kills, 1 assist, 22 digs