Junior Jennifer Hansford |
Postseason play will be at stake this weekend when the Niagara University volleyball team (5-16, 3-3) plays two of its final three matches of the season.
The Purple Eagles play at Rider University (12-11, 3-2) Friday at 7 p.m. before meeting Loyola College (7-16, 1-4) Saturday at 2 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.
SETTING THE SCENE
With three conference matches remaining, Niagara needs three wins to earn their first postseason bid since 1995.
Sitting at .500 after a split this past weekend with Manhattan (W, 3-1) and Saint Peter’s (L, 3-2), the Purple Eagles are in a tie with cross-town rival Canisius for fifth place. Victories over Rider and Loyola this weekend could put Niagara in a battle for fourth place with the Broncs and the Golden Griffins.
Niagara and Canisius meet Nov. 13 and the match could have postseason implications.
Rider enters the match on a two-match losing streak. The Broncs were upset in four games by Loyola in their last Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference outing.
Loyola went 2-0 last week for the first time since September. The Greyhounds got the win over Rider and beat Maryland Eastern Shore in a non-league match.
A LOOK AT THE PURPLE EAGLES
No time is better than this weekend for the Niagara to pick up its first road win of the season. The Purple Eagles are winless in seven matches, including 0-2 in conference outings on the road.
Statistically, Niagara is hitting .177 as a team and allowing opponents to hit .239. Junior middle hitter Karen Simpson is leading the Purple Eagles with a .293 hitting percentage and is second in blocks (52). Classmate Michelle LeSouder is the only other attacker hitting a .200 percentage-or-better (.238). She leads the squad in kills per game (3.99) and is third in blocks (42).
Junior Jennifer Hansford had been handling all the setting duties, averaging 9.61 assists per game. She is also one of three players digging two-or-more attacks a game (2.19).
Defensively, Niagara is digging a lot of balls. Junior libero Micole Daluisio tops the team with 4.67 a game, while junior outside attacker Erin Graham is second (2.81). Graham is also second on the squad in kills per game (3.72).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Rider
Rider plays only one MAAC match last week and sits in fourth place in the standings with a 3-2 record.
The Broncos are hitting .172, while opponents are hitting .184. Senior outside attacker Jaclyn Levi has a team-best 3.95 kills per game average, is hitting .233 and leads the team in digs (3.92).
Sophomore middle hitter Megan Smith is hitting .257 with 2.63 kills per game. She also leads Rider in blocks with 53.
Loyola
Sitting in eighth place in the standings, Loyola could play the spoiler this weekend and work into a playoff spot with victories the rest of the way.
The Greyhounds are hitting .163 and opponents .250.
Reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Week Becky Corb leads Loyola in kills per game (4.13) and aces. The outside hitter also averages 2.36 digs per game.
Freshman outside attacker Christina Greenup has a team-leading .231 hitting percentage and 34 blocks.
SERIES RECORDS
Niagara leads the all-time series with Rider (6-2), but trails Loyola (9-7).
In last year’s meetings, the Purple Eagles beat the Broncos in three games at the Gallagher Center. Niagara was led offensively by Michelle LeSouder, who had a team-high 11 kills and classmate Micole Daluisio had a match-high 15 digs.
Niagara snapped a two-year losing streak to Loyola last year with a win in four games last season. The Purple Eagles were led by Erin Graham and LeSouder with 23 and 20 kills, respectively. Defensively, Niagara had three players register double digits in digs. Daluisio had a team-high 18 digs, Jessica Piscitelli had 14 digs and setter Jennifer Hansford had a double-double with 56 assists and 11 digs.
MILLENNIUM MARK
Junior Erin Graham is expected to become the third Niagara player in school history to reach the millennium mark in kills. The outside attacker has 997 career kills and 249 this season. She is averaging 3.72 kills per game.
ALL-TIME LEADER
Junior Michelle LeSouder continues to build on her school record as Niagara’s career leader in kills (1,251).
LeSouder entered the season with 948 kills and has 303 going into the weekend.
CHART MOVERS
Juniors Jennifer Hansford and Micole Daluisio continue to climb the Niagara career records chart.
Hansford is currently third on the career assists chart with 2,474 assists. She needs 22 assists this weekend to pass Karen Catalano (2,495, 1992-95) for second on the list.
Daluisio became the fourth Niagara player to register 1,000-plus digs with her performance at the Bucknell Invitational. She is third on the career list with 1,207 digs. She needs 49 digs to move into second past Jodie Bowers (1997-00).
CONFERENCE ACTION
Freshman Aris Allen has stepped up her game since the Purple Eagles began MAAC play. In six matches, Allen is second on the team in aces (9) and averaging 1.96 digs per game. She also collected her first two collegiate block assists.
SINGLE-SEASON WATCH LIST
Micole Daluisio is slowly inching toward the top 10 in digs in a single season. She enters the weekend needing five digs to bump Jodie Bowers (354, 1997) from ninth on the list and 25 digs to pass her own 2003 mark (362) and teammate Erin Graham’s 2002 total (374).
Daluisio holds the singles season mark for digs. She had 495 in 2002.
Jennifer Hansford is climbing the single-season assists list. She has 740 assists, five assists short of the top 10 list.
Michelle LeSouder is currently 10th on the single-season kills list. She needs 21 to move into ninth.
MAAC STATISTICS
Niagara has five players ranked among the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference leaders as of Nov. 1.
In conference matches, Karen Simpson is sixth in hitting percentage (.310) and Michelle LeSouder is seventh (.304). LeSouder is also 10th in kills per game (4.26).
Graham is fifth in kills per game (4.26) and aces per game (0.52), Jennifer Hansford sixth in assists per game (10.78) and Micole Daluisio third in digs per game (4.89).
