NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara volleyball team (5-22, 3-12 MAAC) fought hard, but fell to the top team in the conference, Fairfield (15-12, 12-2 MAAC) on Sunday, 25-22, 25-23, 24-26, 25-21. Freshman setter Michelle James (Cincinnati, Ohio) narrowly missed a triple-double for the second-straight match, finsihing with 44 assists, 18 digs and nine kills.

"I'm proud of our fight to take game three," Niagara head coach Susan Clements said. "It shows our capabilities of being successful in the MAAC. Our next goal is to finish the set when we have the lead, no matter who the opponent is."

James 44 assists helped her surpass the 1,000-assist total for her rookie season, becoming just the second freshman with the honor. Her 1,021 assists currently rank second on the school's single-season list with three games remaining. She needs 113 assists to earn the top spot.

Hannah Hedrick (Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded her 14th double-double of the season with 16 kills and 18 digs. Lauren Costello (Webster, N.Y.) added 15 kills with just one attack error on the afternoon.

James recorded a career-high five service aces in the loss, while classmate Sam Morgan (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 26 digs.

The Purple Eagles final three games will be away from home, starting Nov. 8 at Manhattan.