Championship Saturday

The Niagara Purple Eagles will defend their MAAC Tournament title when they face the No. 2 seed Iona Gaels in the 2010 MAAC Championship Match on Saturday from the HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN3 at 2 p.m.

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No. 2 Iona Gaels (20-10, 12-6 MAAC)

Niagara won both meetings with the Iona Gaels this season. In the first meeting on Oct. 9, the Purple Eagles swept the Gaels in the battle for first place. NU had a then-season-high 11 blocks in the win. On Halloween, the Purple Eagles fought off four match points in the fifth set to eventually clip Iona in five sets to claim their first-ever regular season title.

Final Countdown

Niagara is making its second consecutive trip to the MAAC Tournament Final and third overall in program history. The Purple Eagles claimed their first-ever MAAC title last season with a 3-0 win over the Marist Red Foxes in Buffalo, N.Y.

Streakin’

Niagara is currently on a school record 18-match winning streak. The Purple Eagles began the run with a 3-0 win against the Rider Broncs on Sept. 25 at the Gallagher Center in their third conference game of the season.  NU swept 11 of its first 12 matches during the streak and has only lost 10 of the last 64 sets.

Niagara’s streak ranks among the nation’s best. The Purple Eagles’ 18-match winning streak is seventh in the nation

Attack The MAAC

Over the past two seasons, the Purple Eagles have put the MAAC on notice. NU is 22-1 in its last 23 matches against conference opponents, including going 2-0 in last season’s conference tournament and 2-0 in this season’s tournament. Niagara’s torrid run through conference play placed the 2010 team in the MAAC history book. The Purple Eagles’ 17 conference wins are tied for the second most in MAAC history.

Home Sweep Home

Niagara completed its conference home schedule with a 9-0 mark and is 17-1 at home in conference play in the last two seasons, including winning 17 straight. Niagara has gone undefeated at home in conference action twice in program history, going 4-0 in the 1991 and 1995 seasons.

Sitting At The Top

NU leads the MAAC in hitting percentage, assists, kills and opponent hitting percentage.

How May I Assist You?

Junior setter Michelle James sketched her name into the Niagara history book this season. James set single-season assists records in 2008 (1,149) and 2009 (1,199) and entered the season fourth on the all-time career list. On Halloween, James surpassed Jennifer Hansford’s (‘05) total of 3,289 in NU’s five-set win over Iona. James currently has 3,532 assists in her career. James set a new match career-high with 63 assists in the five-set win over Canisius in the final match of the regular season.

Diggin’ It

Junior libero Sam Morgan is “diggin’ it” playing in the backrow. Morgan has accumulated double-digits digs in every match (94) she has played in for Niagara. The consecutive streak leads the nation.

Shattering Records

Niagara has set school records as fast as the wind blows in western New York. The 2010 team has set program records in conference wins (17), regular season wins (22), overall wins (24) and longest win streak and won its first regular season conference title.

Multiple Options

Four Purple Eagles have at least 240 plus kills, which gives Niagara a plethora of options. Hannah Hedrick leads the team with 299 kills and is followed by Kari Honomichl (290), Amanda Wilken (283) and Ellen Senf (246). Kathy Bibler and Michelle James have 198 and 111 kills, respectively.

Back For More

The reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year has continued her great form this season. Hedrick claimed the weekly conference defensive accolades on Oct. 25 and has also proven to be an all-around player. She leads the team in kills, second in digs and aces, and third in assists.

Middle Ground

Middle blockers Amanda Wilken and Kathy Bibler have consistently given NU offensive and defensive sparks. Bibler is second on the team in total blocks, while Wilken is third in the MAAC in attacking percentage. 

Climbing Up The Charts

After winning a combine 14 matches in her first two seasons, Susan Clements is quickly approaching becoming the program all-time winningest coach. The 2009 National Coach of the Year by College Volleyball Update (CVU.com) is 47-17 since 2009 and is 9 wins away from tying Barb Green’s 70 wins plateau.