Sophomore Annie Wachob

The Niagara University volleyball team (1-5) returns to the friendly confines of the Gallagher Center looking for its second win of the season when it hosts Big Four rival Buffalo (4-5) Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Gallagher Center.

A LOOK AT THE PURPLE EAGLES

The Purple Eagles won their first match of the season Sept. 11 when they beat UNC Wilmington in three games. The victory halted a five-match losing streak for Niagara.

Junior outside hitter Michelle LeSouder had a solid weekend at the tournament. She led Niagara in kills all three matches, averaging 5.25 kills per game and 17.5 kills per match. LeSouder hit a season-high .655 and had four aces in a three-game win over UNC Wilmington.

LeSouder leads the team in kills (105), kills per game (5.25), hitting percentage (.254), aces (6) and total blocks (17).

Junior Karen Simpson is hitting .244 from the middle. She is averaging 1.53 kills per game and is second on the team in blocks with 16.

Defensively, Micole Daluisio leads the team, averaging 4.55 digs per game.

Freshmen Mallory Boron and Raelean Rush have stepped up for the Purple Eagles. Boron is hitting .155 and Rush .138. Rush is also averaging 1.80 digs and is second on the team in aces (5).

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

Buffalo makes its second appearance of the season in the Gallagher Center. The Bulls participated in the Western New York Invitational and beat Binghamton on the Niagara’s home court.

Buffalo enters the match having won one match in its last four outings. The Bulls went 1-4 at the Montana State Tournament, beating Dartmouth (3-2) and losing to Boise State (3-0), Montana State (3-0) and Portland (3-0).

Sophomore Nikki Morzenti is averaging a team-high 3.30 kills per match. Junior setter Amy Brown leads the Bulls in assists (10.57) and hitting percentage (.321). Classmate Katie Weekley is hitting .222, averaging 2.50 kills per game and leading the team in blocks (40). Defensively, the Bulls are led by freshman libero Lizaiha Garcia who is averaging 3.3 digs an outing.

Buffalo is hitting .150 as a team, digging 13.1 attacks a match and is blocking 2.62 attacks an outing.

SERIES RECORDS

Niagara and Youngstown State meet for the 27th time Wednesday. The Purple Eagles will be looking for their first win over the Bulls in the 17-year history of the series.

In their last meeting, Buffalo beat Niagara in three games, 30-21, 30-25, 30-26, on Oct. 15 in the Gallagher Center.

Junior Erin Graham and Michelle LeSouder led Niagara’s attack with 13 and 12 kills, respectively.

Junior Michelle LeSouder picked up Niagara’s second all-tournament honor of the year when she was named to the Youngstown State All-Tournament Team.

MILLENNIUM MARK

Michelle LeSouder became just the second Purple Eagle in the program’s 28-year history to record 1,000 career kills.

The outside hitter accomplished the feat on her first kill in the Youngstown State match on Sept. 10. She enters Wednesday’s match with 1,053 kills, second only to Jessica Anderson’s (1992-95) 1,128 career kills.

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 1,906 assists. She passed Mindy Florczyk (1996-98) this past weekend after collecting 96 assists at the Youngstown State Tournament. Hansford is just the third Purple Eagle to have 1,900-or-more career assists.

Daluisio is 27 digs shy of taking over sixth on the career digs list. The Lancaster, N.Y., native collected 40 digs in her last tournament outing and is averaging 4.55 digs a game and 15.1 digs per match.

MAAC STATISTICS

Niagara has four players ranked among the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference leaders as of Sept. 8.

Michelle LeSouder led the team in kills and Erin Graham was 10th. Jennifer Hansford was eighth in assists and Micole Daluisio third in digs.