ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Ye Wang (Beijing, China/Hachioji Jissen), Amber Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) and Jenna Reeser (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home) each recorded double-figure kills to lead the Daemen College volleyball team to straight-sets victory (25-18, 25-16, 25-21) over Roberts Wesleyan College in an East Coast Conference match at RWC's Voller Athletic Center tonight.

The Wildcats have now won four of their last five matches, improving to 10-9 overall and 5-1 in ECC play, keeping themselves one match back in the loss column behind unbeaten University of Bridgeport (6-0 in league, 13-7 overall).  With the loss, RWC's nightmarish season continued as they dropped to 1-14 overall, and 1-5 in the league.

Wang, the 6-foot-1 senior middle blocker, was strong at the net with 12 kills on 22 attempts as she finished the match with a .455 hitting percentage, while also posting six blocks.  Drzymala and Reeser split 20 kills between them with Drzymala adding a match-best 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the season, and her second in as many matches.  Reeser's 10 kills gives her three matches of double-figure kills this season, two of which have come this month.

Sophomore setter Katie McKrell (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) assisted on 37 of Daemen's 44 kills in the match.  Freshman outside hitter Ashley Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster), who earlier in the day was named the ECC Rookie of the Week, chipped in with seven kills, seven digs and a pair of service aces.

Kristina Button notched eight kills to lead the Redhawks, who also got seven kills apiece from Courtney Taylor and Kate Steger.  Elisabeth Rivera contributed 20 assists in the loss.

With RWC leading 12-10 in the opening frame, Daemen went on a 6-0 run to grab control of the set.  Three Ashley Drzymala kills and two more by Wang keyed the spurt.  The Redhawks would pull within three at 20-17, but Daemen responded by winning five of the final six points to closeout the set, getting two kills from Reeser in that span.

It was again with the hosts leading 12-10 in the second frame where Daemen grasped a lead it would not relinquish, using a 7-1 run to establish a 17-13 edge.  Back-to-back kills by Wang ignited the Wildcats rally.  After RWC cut the deficit to four at 20-16, Daemen rattled off the final five points of the set with Wang and Reeser combining on a pair of blocks and another swing by Wang ending the set.

The third set was nip-and-tuck, when Daemen expanded a one-point lead (20-19) to four by winning three-straight points, making the score 23-19 with Reeser's kill capping the brief spurt.  RWC would get no closer than three the remainder of the set, as the match ended on a Redhawk service error.

The three-set victory marked Daemen's first such win since knocking off Mercy College on the road in ECC play back on September 26.  It also marked the Wildcats' first victory over their thruway rivals since October 29, 2013 in a five-set thriller at Lumsden Gymnasium.  Daemen is now 11-5 against the Redhawks since 2008.

The Wildcats and Redhawks will renew their rivalry just six days from now at Lumsden Gymnasium.  Before doing so, Daemen hosts a pair of ECC matches as Dowling College (Friday, October 16) and ECC-leading Bridgeport (Saturday, October 17) visit Amherst this weekend.