NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – After opening the 2006 season at home, the Niagara University volleyball team (1-2) plays in its second tournament of the season and begins a five-match road trip when it travels to Manhattan to take part in the St. Francis (N.Y.) Tournament this weekend. The Purple Eagles begin play at 5 p.m. Friday vs. Bucknell (3-5), and then meets the host Terriers (0-2) at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Morgan State (1-3) at noon.

Niagara enters the tournament after winning one of its three matches in the Western New York Invitational last weekend. The Purple Eagles dropped 3-0 matches to Coastal Carolina and Fordham, but beat Quinnipiac in three games.

Junior and WNY Invitational All-Tournament selection Maurin Lawrence (Corfu, N.Y.) leads the team with a .297 hitting percentage. She also is averaging 1.89 kills per game and tops the team with six blocks.

Junior Raelean Rush (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home) has a team-leading 2.25 kills per game. Classmates Mallory Boron (Lockport, N.Y./Starpoint) and Sara Mancini (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) are averaging 7.0 assists and 2.75 digs, respectively.

Senior Jessica Piscitelli (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) has already rung up 15 aces, including 13 vs. Quinnipiac which were two off the NCAA single-match record.

Niagara is hitting .036 as a squad and averaging 9.78 kills and 11.78 digs.

Bucknell is on a two-match winning streak after winning its last match in the La Salle Tournament and beating Westchester Tuesday. The Bison are led by Amanda Grossman with a .246 hitting percentage and Sarah Groman, who is averaging 2.78 kills an outing. Bucknell is hitting .139 as a team.

St. Francis will be looking for its first win of the season after losing two matches in the Saint Peter’s Tournament. Esther Lima tops the team in hitting (.045) and kills per game (2.25). The Terriers are hitting -.074.

Morgan State snapped a two-match losing streak this weekend when it won at Air Force. The Bears’ Ashley Preston is hitting a team-best .400 and averaging 4.86 kills per game. Ivanti Bush is also averaging 3.79 kills an outing. Morgan State is hitting .080.

Niagara trails in two of the three series. Bucknell leads 4-1 and Morgan State, 1-0. The Purple Eagles lead the St. Francis (N.Y.) series, 2-0.