NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University volleyball team will be playing for the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament bid when it begins play Thursday in the 2006 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship from Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The Purple Eagles (4-21, 3-10) enter the championship at the No. 10 seed and takes on No. 7 seed Saint Peter’s at noon. The winner advances to play No. 2 Siena at 7 p.m. Thursday, and the loser in the double-elimination championship takes on the loser of No. 4 Manhattan and No. 5 Marist Friday at 11 a.m. The winners of the championship earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship.

In the regular-season meetings, Niagara split with Saint Peter’s, winning in five games in the legendary Taps Gallagher Center and falling in three games on the road.

Sophomore Nicole Piette (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) leads the team in hitting percentage (.217), is second in kills per game (2.70) and third in blocks per game (0.60). Junior Raelean Rush (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home) averages a squad-leading 3.02 kills per game and is second in digs per game (3.52).

Defensively, junior Maurin Lawrence (Corfu, N.Y.) and senior Annie Wachob (Buffalo, N.Y./Mount St. Mary’s) top the squad with 54 and 53 blocks, respectively. Junior Sara Mancini (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) leads the team in digs per game (4.84).

Saint Peter’s enters the championship with a four-match losing streak after finishing 13-22 overall and 6-12 in the league.

The Peahens are led by Serra Soylu, averaging 4.26 kills, 1.18 blocks and hitting .312. Caroline Garvey leads the squad in assists (5.62) and digs (2.22).

As a team, Saint Peter’s is averaging 11.78 kills, 14.23 digs, and hitting .178.