By Jonah Bronstein<br><a href="mailto:bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Jonah</a>
The average age of the Niagara women’s volleyball team is 18 years and seven months.
With five seniors graduating from last season’s 8-19 team, and three more older players deciding not to come back, the Purple Eagles head into tonight’s season-opening Niagara University Invitational at the Gallagher Center with a roster resembling that of a junior college.
But the four sophomores and six freshmen coach Susan Clements has recruited in less than two years on the job are being touted as the program’s most talented group in years.
And after improving their win total by four games last season, Clements said she doesn’t feel youth will prevent the Purple Eagles from making further progress.
“I didn’t plan to have total turnover right away, but I like it,” Clements said. “They’re all my style of players. Very high-skilled players, all-around players.”
Lauren Costello, who led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in blocks last season, said she’s excited about the influx of talented freshman and the team’s chemistry.
“We all click very well because we’re all in the same boat,” she said. “I think it’s the people on our team that make us so close, not just our ages.”
Clements said all six freshmen will play right away, but setter Michelle James and middle hitter Kathy Bibler figure to make the biggest immediate impact.
James has already made a tremendous impression on Costello with her practice enthusiasm. The Cincinnati native was a second-team all-state selection as a senior and has competed in the USA Junior Nationals four times.
Niagara hosts Oakland at 7 p.m. tonight. On Sunday, they face Sacred Heart at 10 a.m. and Southern Illinois at 5:30 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
Bulls play Brock tonight
UB begins a four-day preseason trip tonight when they visit Brock University in St. Catharines.
The exhibition contest against the defending Canadian Interuniversity Sport national champions starts at 8 p.m. General admission tickets cost $7. Seniors and children can get in for $4.
UB coach Reggie Witherspoon is taking advantage of an NCAA rule that lets teams play exhibition games outside the country once every four years. The Bulls will scrimmage against McMaster University in Hamilton on Saturday, then head north to play Queen’s University in Kingston on Sunday and Carleton University in Ottawa on Labor — or Labour — Day.
“I think it’s coming at a good time. We have a lot of guys back and it gives us an opportunity to practice with a lot of people, and it gives us an opportunity to play with two of our new guys,” said Witherspoon, referencing freshmen forwards Mitchell Watt and Titus Robinson. “We’re going to try and get them as much (playing time) as we can and try to use it as an introduction to get them up to speed.”
Zach Filzen, a shooting guard who transferred to UB from Northern Arizona, will not be allowed to play. Witherspoon is expecting full participation from senior center Vadim Fedotov, who blew out one of his knees midway through last season.
Men’s Soccer
UB starts at home, NU on the road
The Bulls open their season at 7 p.m. tonight with a home game against Bucknell. Tonawanda native Robert Shuttleworth will start in goal for UB, which went 10-7-2 last year before losing to Akron in overtime of the Mid-American Conference championship game.
Fellow Tonawandans Eric Brodfuehrer and Rob Chipman will be in Conway, S.C., where the Purple Eagles open up against Longwood in the Coastal Carolina Invitational.
