NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara volleyball team (19-7, 12-3 MAAC) tied the school record for wins in a season with its 19th victory on Sunday, a sweep of Rider (3-22, 1-13 MAAC). The Purple Eagles used a strong offensive showing to rewrite the history books, 25-23, 25-15, 25-15.

Niagara pounded out 42 kills, 14 in each set en route to the win. The Purple Eagles committed just five errors in the final two sets combined to pull away. Niagara's offense was functioning on all cylindars as the team collected 42 assists on 42 kills.

"I very proud of our team and what they accomplished (Sunday)," Niagara head coach Susan Clements said. "We are trying to keep the team focused on next week and our big matches on the road."

With the win, this year's squad tied the 1983 and 1993 teams with 19 victories. The 2009 Purple Eagles have at least three regular season matches remaining to try and and set the record. NU's 12th MAAC win is a school record.

Sophomore Michelle James (Cincinnati, Ohio) quarterbacked the offense with 36 assists. She leads the MAAC with 962 helpers and 10.69 assists per set. She currently has 2,111 assists in her brief career, a total that ranks fifth all-time at Niagara. James also added four kills in five attempts for an .800 attack percentage. She has not committed an attacking error in her last four matches, totaling 16 kills in that span.

A pair of personal double-digit streaks were kept alive in Sunday's sweep. Sophomore Sam Morgan (Cincinnati, Ohio) collected 14 digs, extending her streak to 56 matches, every match she has played in collegiately. That streak is second in the nation. Sophomore Hannah Hedrick (Cincinnati, Ohio) continued her MAAC double-figure kills streak to 17 matches, dating back to last season, with 12 kills in the win. She attacked at a .267 clip.

The Purple Eagle middle blockers were also dominant in the win, totaling 14 kills and seven blocks while attacking at a .367 clip. Sophomore Kathy Bibler (Bowling Green, Ohio) had nine kills and a match-high four blocks, while freshman Amanda Wilken (Cincinnati, Ohio) added five kills and a match-high two solo blocks.

The Purple Eagles sit in second place in the MAAC Standings and and officially clinched a berth into the MAAC Tournament after a Canisius loss on Sunday.

Niagara hits the road next weekend for a pair of critical conference matches at Marist on Saturday and at Siena on Sunday. Marist currently sits in third place in the MAAC, while Siena is in fourth place. The top four teams advance to the MAAC Tournament at Canisius on Nov. 22-23.

Sunday's road match at Siena can be seen live on Time Warner Cable Buffalo (local channel 13) at 2 p.m.