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The Niagara Purple Eagles begin their 2013 campaign by participating in the UB Invite this weekend versus the host Buffalo and Temple.

NU's first match of the season is against crosstown rival Buffalo on Friday, Aug. 30 at Noon which will air on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

New General On The Sideline
Niagara is led by first-year head Vilis Ozols, who was named head coach in Feb. 2012. Ozols spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Wyoming and spent a season as an assistant at Colorado. Ozols played collegiate volleyball at the University of Guelph in Canada where he was a four-time First Team All-Conference selection and a three-time conference player of the year. He is a former Canadian Jr. National Team member.

Reis A Preseason All-MAAC Selection
Junior libero Allison Reis has been named to the 2013 Preseason All-MAAC Team. Reis is the most experience player on the team, having played in 160 sets in the last two seasons. Reis saw action in all 29 matches last season, her first season as the starting libero. She was sixth in the MAAC with 5.13 digs per set and recorded double-digit digs in every match

Full of Youth
The 2013 Purple Eagles are made up of three freshmen, four sophomores and three juniors. This is the first time Niagara has not had a senior on the squad since 2009; that team went on to win the program's first-ever MAAC championship.

Newcomers
Niagara welcomes four newcomers to the team: Emily Hopkins, Alex Stone, Melissa McGwin and Kelly Fitzpatrick. Hopkins set numerous records at Williamsville North High School in Getzville, N.Y. Stone was the team MVP of a state championship winning team in Illinois. McGwin already had one season of Division I experience after playing at Coastal Carolina last season. Fitzpatrick was named to the all-league second team as a member at Liverpool High School in Syracuse, N.Y.

Niagara Picked Seventh In MAAC Preseason Poll
The Purple Eagles were tabbed seventh in the coaches' poll announced on Tuesday. Niagara, which has won three of the last four MAAC Tournaments, was voted to finish seventh with 49 points, one point behind Marist. Defending champion Fairfield was picked top of the poll with 99 points. The seventh place picked is the lowest since 2008 when NU was selected eighth.

Fill The Void
Nearly 70 percent of the last season's offense is gone entering the season. The Purple Eagles are looking to Amanda Sedore, who is the team's returning leader in kills (163), Chelsea Watson,  who missed most of last season due to injury, and newcomers Alex Stone and Melissa McGwin to contribute offensively.

Across The Net
Buffalo Bulls (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
The Buffalo Bulls will be a veteran team with 12 returning players, including all seven starters from last season's team that finished 10-18 and fifth in the MAC East with a 4-12 record.

Against UB (Buffalo leads 32-2)
Niagara trails in the all-time series, having won only two of the previous 34 meetings. However, two of those wins have come recently. The Purple Eagles earned their first-ever win over the Bulls during the 2007 season and picked up their second win in the series in the following season.

2012 In Review
Niagara entered the season in search of its fourth straight MAAC championship. Seniors Kari Honomichl and Michelle James were picked to the Preseason All-MAAC team and the pair lived up to the accolades. James and Ellen Senf were named to the All-MAAC Second Team, while Kari Honomichl was named Niagara's first-ever MAAC Player of the Year. The Purple Eagles finished the season 15-14 and 12-6 in the conference for fourth place. The Purple Eagles lost in the MAAC Semifinals against eventual champion Fairfield in four sets.