AMHERST, N.Y.-  The Daemen College women's volleyball team finished its five-game homestand with a perfect 5-0 mark, defeating rival Roberts Wesleyan College in five sets (24-26, 25-29, 25-20, 24-26, 15-8) tonight at Lumsden Gymnasium. It was Daemen's first five-set win of the season, while the Redhawks dropped to 1-3 in matches of that nature. The Wildcats have now beaten their longtime rivals in 10 of their last 13 meetings, and improved to 13-9 overall and 7-5 in East Coast Conference play with the victory. The Redhawks dropped to 7-12 on the year and 2-8 in ECC competition.

The first set was a tight, back-and-forth affair, with neither team gaining much separation until it was 24-24, and the Redhawks picked up the last two points of the frame for a 26-24 victory and a 1-0 lead in sets. 

However, the Wildcats quickly erased any bad memories of that first set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead early in the second frame to set the tone. Daemen would lead the rest of the way, coasting to a 25-19 victory on the strength of four kills by Ye Wang (Beijing, China/ Hachioji Jissen) in the second period to even the match at a set apiece. 

Much like the first set, the third frame was closely contested, just with a different ending. After tying it at 18, Daemen went on a 7-2 run to finish out the set for a 25-20 decision and their first lead in sets at 2-1. 

If the third set was much like the first, the fourth set was a mirror image of the opening frame. Again, the Wildcats and Redhawks refused to give each other an inch, with the score pulling even at 24 before, just like in the first set, Roberts Wesleyan snagged the final two points for a 26-24 victory to push the match into a fifth and deciding set. 

The "mirror image" theme continued in the fifth, as Daemen answered the Redhawks' set victory the same way they did in the second - with a blistering start to give them an insurmountable lead. The Wildcats stormed out to a 12-3 lead, then picked up the necessary final three points to close out the win. Wang had five kills in the final set, including one on the final point to cement the victory.

This was the definition of a "team win" for Daemen, as a number of great performances led the Wildcats to victory. Wang had 19 kills, her second highest total of the season, to pace Daemen in that category. Senior Kaley Vazquez (Kenmore, N.Y./ Kenmore West) had 25 assists and eight digs. Junior Chelsea Turcer (Alexander, N.Y./ Alexander Central) had a season-high 26 assists, a team-best in that statistic. Senior Paige Tilert (Derby, N.Y./ Lake Shore) had 21 digs to lead Daemen, while junior Brittany Anthon (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) had a season-high 20 digs to go along with 11 kills to complete her double-double. Junior Lindsey Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y./ Immaculata) tied her season-high with 14 kills, Freshman Amber Dryzmala (West Seneca, N.Y// St. Mary's of Lancaster) rounded out the great Wildcat performances, posting a double-double with 18 digs and a career-high 10 kills. 

For the Redhawks Maggie Concannon, Jordan Wilson, Olivia Zureck and Corey Phillips had standout games. Conconnan had an otherworldly assist total of 44, Wilson paced the team with 19 kills, Zureck had a Redhawk-high 21 digs, and Phillips notched a double-double with 14 digs and 12 kills. 

Daemen's next matches will be at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championships in Canton, N.Y., beginning this Thursday, Oct. 31. with a match against Penn State-Fayettte.  The Wildcats are the defending tournament champions.