Box Score
AMHERST, N.Y.- Less than 14 hours after defeating Long Island University Post, the Daemen College volleyball team shocked the visiting New York Institute of Technology, emerging victorious in straight sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-19) for their fourth win in a row. New York Tech was the second-ranked team in the East Coast Conference preseason poll, and entered today's match tied with the University of Bridgeport for the top spot in the conference standings.
With the win, the Wildcats improved to 12-9 overall and 6-5 in ECC competition, while the Bears dropped to 20-3 on the season and 8-2 in conference play. This was only NYIT's fourth straight-set defeat in the last two years.
The Bears made it close at the end of each set, but every time they drew close Daemen collected the last few points that they needed to take the sets.
Anchoring the Wildcats' upset victory over the Bears were strong performances by seniors
Kaley Vazquez (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West) and
Kaitlin Watchey (Jamestown, N.Y./Jamestown), juniors
Lindsey Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y./Immaculata),
Ye Wang (Beijing, China/Hachioji Jissen), and
Chelsea Turcer (Alexander, N.Y./Alexander Central), and freshman Amber Dryzmala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster).
Vazquez and Turcer paced the Wildcats with 16 assists apiece, while Nowak, Wang and Watchey led a balanced Daemen offense with nine kills each. Amber Dryzmala, the only freshman starter for the Wildcats, came up with a solid all-around performance, notching a team-best 12 digs to go along with seven kills.
Seniors Savannah Donarski and Marija Jovanovic and junior Taylor Pulley had good matches for New York Tech. Donarski's 13 kills were the highest total for any player in the match, while Pulley and Jovanovic led the Bears with 11 digs and 16 assists, respectively.
The match today was Daemen's designated "Fight Like A Volleyballer" Lavender Week game, as sponsored by the ECC. Donations were accepted and merchandise sold to raise funds for the Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Institute.
This was the fourth of five consecutive matches that Daemen will play at home in the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium. So far, the homestand has been kind to them, as the Wildcats have won each of those four matches. Daemen is 15-5 in home matches since the start of the 2011 season. They'll look to make it a perfect five-game sweep this Tuesday, Oct. 29 when they host rival Roberts Wesleyan College. Daemen defeated the Redhawks in Rochester earlier this season (3-0 on Oct. 2). Roberts Wesleyan is currently 7-10 overall, with a 2-7 mark in ECC play, pending the outcome of their match today vs. LIU Post.
