NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – After posting a 2-4 record in its first two weeks of the 2006 season, the Niagara University volleyball team begins its 16th season of conference play this weekend when it travels to Marist College and Siena College. The Purple Eagles tangle with the Red Foxes Saturday at 2 p.m. and with the Saints at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The Purple Eagles are 10-5 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference openers and opens with Marist for the first time since 1999. Last season, Niagara opened with a pair of wins on the road at Saint Peter’s and Manhattan.
A trio of juniors led Niagara through its two tournaments. Maurin Lawrence (Corfu, N.Y.) tops the squad with a .356 hitting percentage and averages 0.56 blocks per game. She is also averaging 2.33 kills per outing. Raelean Rush (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home) leads the squad in kills per game (2.71) and is second in digs per game (2.59). On defense, libero Sara Mancini (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) is digging 3.29 attacks an outing.
Senior Jessica Piscitelli (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) averages a team- and league-leading 1.57 aces per game. As a squad, Niagara tops the MAAC with 3.28 aces a game.
The Purple Eagles are hitting .093 and averaging 10.89 kills, 13 digs and 1.06 blocks a game.
Marist enters the weekend on a two-match winning streak after beating the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore twice last weekend. Christy Lukes leads the team in hitting (.225) and blocks per game (0.83). Jaime Kenworthy is averaging a squad-best 3.10 kills and Sally Hanson a team-leading 0.78 blocks.
The Red Foxes are hitting .073 and averaging 10.33 kills and 1.76 blocks.
The defending MAAC champion Siena meets Canisius prior to playing Niagara. The Saints have won once in their last three outings, a 3-1 victory over Colgate.
Nadiege Honore is second in the MAAC in kills per game (3.85), while setter April London leads the league in assists (11.71) and has 22 aces. Conference rookie of the week Burgandy McCurty is hitting a squad-leading .243.
The Saints are hitting .132 with 13.09 kills a game.
In the all-time series, Niagara has a 12-2 series record vs. the Red Foxes and Saints lead the series, 10-7.
