Annie Wachub

The Niagara University volleyball team (1-9) returns to action after almost two weeks off when it travels to Princess Anne, Md., for the Maryland-Eastern Shore Tournament this weekend.

The Purple Eagles open the tournament Friday with a 1 p.m. match vs. host Maryland-Eastern Shore (7-8). Niagara then takes on Delaware State (1-10) at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Purple Eagles play Long Island (8-3) at 11 a.m. and UNC Asheville (6-9) at 3 p.m.

SETTING THE SCENE

Niagara makes its fourth tournament appearance of the season this weekend. The Purple Eagles are 1-8 in tournaments with their lone victory coming over UNC Wilmington in the Youngstown State Tournament Sept. 11.

A victory on the road will be at stake for Niagara in the opening match. The Purple Eagles last won a road contest on Nov. 2, 2003, when they beat Marist, 4-1, in Poughkeepsie.

Maryland-Eastern Shore enters the tournament on a two-match losing streak, dropping 3-0 matches to Connecticut and Marquette.

Delaware State will be looking for its win since beating Wagner Sept. 1. The Hornets have lost nine straight and have not won a game in four matches.

Long Island has the best record of the five teams and has won three of its last four matches, including victories over Chattanooga and Coastal Carolina in the Chanticleer Classic in Conway, S.C.

UNC Asheville is coming off a 2-2 weekend at the UNC Greensboro Invitational.

A LOOK AT THE PURPLE EAGLES

Niagara has had 12 days off and an exhibition to prepare for this weekend’s tournament.

The Purple Eagles have lost their last four matches, winning only one game. They are hitting .161 on the season and allowing opponents to hit .218. Junior middle hitter Karen Simpson is having a break-out year and is leading the Purple Eagles with a .266 hitting percentage and 24 blocks. Classmate Michelle LeSouder is the only other player with a .200 hitting percentage-or-better (.212). She leads the squad in kills per game (4.21) and aces (7).

Junior Jennifer Hansford had been handling all the setting duties, averaging 8.85 assists per game. She is also one of three players digging two-or-more attacks a game.

Defensively, Niagara is digging a lot of balls. Junior libero Micole Daluisio tops the team with 4.88 a game, while junior outside attacker Erin Graham is second (2.65). Sophomore Anne Wachob has a team-high six solo and 27 total blocks.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

The Hawks are hitting .166, while opponents are hitting .207. Senior outside attacker Jana Milin is UMES’s offensive and defensive threat. She leads the team in kills per game (4.62), aces 55) and digs per game (3.49).

Senior middle blocker Mamie Lewis tops the team in hitting percentage (.266) and blocks (26).

UMES has four players with 10-or-more aces and three with 20-or-more.

Delaware State

Delaware State will be looking to get back into the win column after dropping its last nine matches

The Hornets are hitting .010 and allowing opponents to hit .247 against them. Junior outside hitter Michael-Anne Gunsten leads the team in kills per game (1.75). Desiree Abeyta averages 3.56 digs a game.

Long Island

The Blackbirds look to be the team to beat this weekend. They have five players hitting over .200 and the team is hitting .260 while their foes are at .161.

Senior attacker Christina Pintilie leads LIU in kills per game (3.95), hitting percentage (.404), aces (23) and is one of three players with 25-or-more blocks (28).

Sophomore Dana Demayo is averaging 4.92 digs per game.

UNC Asheville

The Bulldogs bring a big block and strong attacks to the tournament. UNC Asheville is hitting .231 and opponents .202. Five players are hitting above .200 and four average two-or-more kills per game.

Junior setter Amanda Wiles leads the team in assists (10.67) and hitting percentage (.309). Sophomore attacker Elif Unlu is averaging 3.25 kills per game.

The Bulldogs have four player with 10-or-more aces and seven in double digits in blocks, including junior outside Allison Lambert with 50 total blocks.

SERIES RECORDS

Niagara has a 1-0 record vs. Long Island, beating the Blackbirds in 1997. It will be the first meeting for the Purple Eagles against the other three teams.

MILLENNIUM MARK

Michelle LeSouder is 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 this weekend’s tournament with 1,087 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 2,026 assists. She is just the third Purple Eagle to have 2,000-or-more career assists.

Daluisio became the fourth Niagara player to register 1,000-plus digs with her performance at the Bucknell Invitational. She fifth on the career list with 1,018 digs and needs 37 to pass Laurie Haefner (1998-01) and 93 to go by Karen Catalano (1992-95).

MAAC STATISTICS

Niagara has five players ranked among the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference leaders as of Sept. 27.

Karen Simpson is fourth in hitting and Michelle LeSouder 10th in hitting and third in kills.

Erin Graham is eighth in kills, Jennifer Hansford eighth in assists and Micole Daluisio second in digs.

The Purple Eagles are third in the MAAC in kills and assists.