Senior Michole Daluisio |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – After opening the season with a 2-1 record at the Western New York Invitational, the Niagara University volleyball team begins a grueling 12-match road swing this weekend at the Trident Classic Volleyball Tournament hosted by Navy in Annapolis, Md.
Niagara opens the weekend with a 2 p.m. match vs. High Point University and then plays host Navy at 8 p.m. On Saturday, the Purple Eagles play Delaware State at 10 a.m. All matches are played in Macdonough Hall on the Navy campus.
The Purple Eagles are off to their best start since 1995 and are riding a modest two-match winning streak. With three victories this weekend, they could break the school record for best start set in 1995.
Statistically, Niagara is leading the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in hitting percentage (.234) and is atop the league with a .667 winning percentage. And the Purple Eagles success so far has come from its five seniors and a rookie.
Michelle LeSouder (Stratford, Ont.), Niagara’s all-time leader in kills, is averaging 3.64 kills, hitting .397 and tops the team in blocks with nine. Karen Simpson (Rochester, N.Y.) has a .357 hitting percentage and eight blocks. Stephanie Hopkins (Tonawanda, N.Y./Sweet Home) is hitting .245, averaging 3.36 kills and 2.73 digs per game. Erin Graham (Oakville, N.Y.) is also averaging 2.73 digs per game. Micole Daluisio (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) leads the team in digs, averaging 4.64.
Freshman middle hitter Nicole Piette (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) has a .297 hitting percentage, a team-best four aces and nine blocks.
High Point enters the weekend with a 2-3 record after snapping a three-match losing streak with a three-game win over UNC Greensboro Tuesday. The Panthers are hitting .211 and have collected 45 aces in five matches.
Senior Michelle Feiser leads the team in kills per game (3.11) and aces (10), while junior Sabrina Wahid has a team-best .390 hitting percentage and 12 blocks.
Navy, who just played in the WNY Invitational last weekend, is 3-1 on the season. The lone loss was a five-game match to Canisius. The Midshipmen are hitting .240 and averaging 2.65 aces and 2.38 blocks per game.
Navy is led by junior Beth McArthur who has a .470 hitting percentage and is averaging 3.62 kills per game. Freshman Jessie Sims leads the squad in digs per game (3.69) while hitting .217.
Delaware State has already faced two MAAC teams (Iona & Saint Peter’s) and stands at 1-3 on the season with its only victory coming against Iona in five games. The Hornets are hitting .081 and do not have any players hitting .200-or-more.
Kinga Muszynski is averaging 2.64 kills per game and a team-leading 4.0 digs per game.
Niagara meets High Point for the first time, has a 1-4 record vs. Navy and a 1-0 record vs. Delaware State. The Purple Eagles and the Mids last meet in 2002, and Niagara defeated the Hornets in three games last season at the Maryland Eastern Shore Tournament.
