AMHERST, N.Y. – The Daemen College women's volleyball team closed out its 2012 season with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 25-21) victory over Molloy College here today.
 
Daemen, which claimed the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championship last weekend, ran its winning streak to eight-straight matches and finished with a 27-10 record. The 27 wins are the most in a season during the eight-year career of current head coach Mark Parisi, topping the 26 wins the team posted last year.
 
Daemen seniors Katie Auge (Salamanca, N.Y./Salamanca),  Joanna Fretthold (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) and Ashley Scrinzi (Gasport, N.Y./Royalton-Hartland) were honored beforehand in recognition of the final match of their careers.
 
Molloy, a member of the NCAA Division II East Coast Conference, dropped to 8-20. Daemen will join the East Coast Conference as a probationary member next year.
 
\Fretthold made the most of her final match, as she totaled a team-high 12 kills (0 errors, 24 attempts) and also registered a team-high 18 digs. Junior Kaitlin Watchey (Jamestown, N.Y./Jamestown) added 10 kills, while classmate Jenn Karan (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) added six kills and three block assists. Sophomore Ye Wang (Beijing, China) added seven kills and two blocks, while classmate Lindsey Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y./Immaculata Academy) chipped in six kills.
 
 Auge and Scrinzi contributed to a strong defensive effort of Daemen, finishing with 14 and 11 digs respectively. Junior Kaley Vazquez (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West) had 23 assists and eight digs for the hosts, while sophomore Chelsea Turcer (Alexander, N.Y./Alexander Central) added 14 assists.
 
Freshman Casey Palmer (Norwalk, Calf./Valley Christian) led the Lions with seven kills, 14 digs and three total blocks (two solo).  Freshman Katie Gallagher (North Massapequa, N.Y./Binghamton) and sophomore Sam Berna (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) added four kills each. Senior defensive specialist Stefani Koelbel (West Hempstead, N.Y./West Hempstead) recorded a team-high 23 digs for
Molloy, while sophomore Kerry MacDonald (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial) and senior Jennifer Koelbel  (West Hempstead, N.Y./West Hempstead) both handed out 10 assists.
 
Game one was tied at 8-8 before the Wildcats appeared to take control with a 12-5 run. A kill by Nowak capped the run and gave Daemen a 20-13 lead. Molloy scored the next four points and later pulled to within a point, 22-21, following a Daemen error. The teams traded points, before Fretthold closed the set with back-to-back kills.
 
Game two was never in doubt, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 16-3 lead en route to the 25-10 victory.
 
Molloy trailed 4-3 early in game three, before the visitors put together a 10-4 run for a 13-7 lead. Daemen responded with six unanswered points and tied the game at 13-13 following a kill by Fretthold. The Wildcats opened up a 22-18 lead following a Molloy service error, but the Lions got back-to-back kills from sophomore Shannon Appel (Rockaway Park, N.Y./Midwood) and Gallager to pull within two points. Daemen scored three of the next four points to secure the game and the match.