NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The young Niagara volleyball team opened the 2008 season with a heartbreaking, five-set loss to Oakland on Friday in the opening round of the Labor Day Invitational. The Purple Eagles had a pair of match points in the fifth set, but could not notch the final point in the eventual 26-28, 25-19, 15-25, 25-13, 19-17 loss.

Sophomore Lauren Costello (Webster, N.Y.) led four Purple Eagles in double-digit kills with 14, while freshman setter Michelle James (Cincinnati, Ohio) started her Niagara career off with 49 assists. Rookies Holly Allgeier (Louisville, Ky.), Kathy Bibler (Bowling Green, Ohio) and Hannah Hedrick (Cincinnati, Ohio) also tallied double-digit kills with 11, 10 and 10, respectively.

Niagara took the floor at the legendary 'Taps' Gallagher Center as the youngest team in the nation, with just three returning players, all sophomores, and seven newcomers (6 freshmen and 1 sophomore). If the "Baby Eagles" were nervous in their first game together, they didn't show it on the court.

Niagara won the first set in a tight contest, 28-26. James paced the offense with 13 assists in her first career set. Trailing 15-10 early on, the Purple Eagles went on a 6-1 run to tie it at 16-16, before scoring the final two points on a Costello kill and a James service ace for a 1-0 start. The Grizzles rebounded with a 25-19 victory in the second set, but NU pounced on the Grizzles to take a 2-1 lead in the third.

NU rebounded by hitting .412 in the middle frame with 17 kills to just three errors. Niagara jumped out to a 10-4 lead on four Costello kills and a pair from Allgeier and led 20-9 before closing out the third set. The look to run out of gas in the fourth set, falling 25-13, but the Purple Eagles rebounded for the decisive frame.

The fifth set was a back and forth affair, featuring 13 ties and four match points. Niagara had a chance to put it away at 15-14 and 17-16, but the Grizzles rallied for the victory.

“For being so young, I felt like we made a big statement tonight to put this team in the direction to change the reputation of this program,” head coach Susan Clements said. “I was excited about our chemistry that we had right off the bat, and I think that we are going to be an aggressive team this year. Even though we fell short of an opening season victory, I’m pleased with the quick progress that we made from the preseason.”

Freshman Sam Morgan (Cincinnati, Ohio) paced the defense with 21 digs in her collegiate debut. Hedrick finished with a double-double with 22 digs to pair with her 10 kills. James added four kills and a .429 attack percentage, while Costello led the squad with four blocks, including a pair of solos.

"Lauren is definitely stepping up and being a go to player for us, and she showed that tonight," Clements said. "I also felt the freshmen as a whole really showed competitiveness, which bodes well for us this year and in the future."

The Purple Eagles are back in action with a pair of matches on Saturday against Sacred Heart at 10 a.m. and Southern Illinois at 5:30 p.m. Follow the action live by clicking here.