DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – The Daemen College women's volleyball ran its winning streak to six-straight games after defeating Mercy College and Saint Anselm College during a tri-match hosted by Mercy here today. The Wildcats cruised past East Coast Conference foe Mercy in the first match of the day 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-16), and then rallied from two sets down to defeat Saint Anselm (22-25, 14-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-12) in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The six-match winning streak is the longest for Daemen since it posted 15-straight wins during the 2013 season.
Daemen, which has won eight of its last nine matches, improved to 14-6 overall and 6-1 in the ECC. Mercy dropped to 2-10 overall and 1-5 in the ECC following the loss. Saint Anselm, a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, fell to 14-4 following its second-straight loss. Daemen, which posted a 3-2 win over Franklin Pierce University last night, is now 4-1 against Northeast-10 teams this season.
Daemen 3, Mercy 0
Sophomore Ashley Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) paced the Wildcats with a match-high 17 kills, while freshman Bailey Dolegowski (Marilla, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) handed out 30 set assists and also registered four service aces. Senior Amber Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) added nine kills and 10 digs, while sophomore Kailey Ballou (Eden, N.Y./Eden) totaled a team-high 13 digs. Freshman Cristina Apostol (Bucharest, Romania) chipped in eight kills, two service aces and two blocks.
Sophomore Peyton Olson (Albany, Ore.) led the Mavericks with 11 kills and seven digs, while classmate Brooke Runge (Closter, N.J.) totaled 17 assists.
Daemen opened up an early 9-4 lead in the first set and later used a 5-0 run to open up a 16-6 advantage. Ashley Drzymala totaled three kills during the run. Mercy countered with three unanswered points, but Daemen used a 9-3 run to close out the set and earn the 25-12 win.
Mercy scored the first three points of set two, but the Wildcats responded with a 9-3 run for a 9-6 lead. A kill by Amber Drzymala off a set from Dolegowski capped the run. Mercy managed to tie the set at 10-10 and the teams then traded points until it was knotted at 15-15. A 5-1 spurt by Daemen gave the Wildcats a 21-16 lead, and after a point by Mercy the visitors closed out the set with four unanswered points for a 25-17 win.
Set three was a back-and-forth affair early on and the set was tied at 10-10 when back-to-back kills by Ashley Drzymala sparked the Wildcats on an 8-0 run. Mercy scored five of the next eight points to cut the lead to six (21-15), but Daemen closed out the set and match with a 4-1 run.
Daemen 3, Saint Anselm 2
Ashley Drzymala capped off a solid day with 20 kills and 10 digs to pace the Wildcats. Amber Drzymala added 14 kills, two aces and 14 digs, while redshirt sophomore Courtney Scanlan (Ellicottville, N.Y./Stony Brook University) helped the cause with 11 kills and three blocks. Dolegowski continued her solid play and finished with 45 assists and 13 digs. Sophomore Kailey Ballou (Eden, N.Y./Eden) added 14 digs, while freshman Meghan Ballou (Eden, N.Y./Eden) contributed seven kills, five digs and three blocks. Junior Alicia Contreras (Arcadia, Calf./Arcadia) chipped in 13 digs.
Sophomore Sarah Lowery (Chicago, Ill.) paced a balanced Saint Anselm attack with 12 kills, nine digs and five blocks, while rookie Madison Sollows (West Barnstable, Mass.) added 11 kills. Sophomore Jewel Hays (Aliso Viejo, Calf.) recorded 43 set assists for the Hawks, while senior CC Chrisom (Dover, N.H.) registered a match-high 19 digs.
Saint Anselm held a 9-8 lead early in set one, before the Wildcats rallied with a 5-2 run and opened up a 14-10 lead following a Saint Anselm service error. The Hawks answered with three-straight points, and neither team led by more than a point after that until the Hawks ran off three-straight points and opened up a 23-20 lead following a service ace by junior Katy Teets (Dix Hills, N.Y.). The teams traded points after that and Saint Anselm took a 25-22 win.
The Hawks jumped out to an 11-4 lead in set two, and later opened up an 18-7 lead following a Daemen attack error. The teams traded points the rest of the set and the Hawks prevailed 25-14.
The third set was tied at 12-12 when the Wildcats ran off seven unanswered points for a 19-12 lead. A kill by Meghan Ballou off a set by Dolegowski capped the run. Saint Anselm rallied and cut the lead to 21-17, but Daemen scored three of the next four points en route to a 25-20 victory.
Daemen refused to go down without a fight and raced out to an early 9-3 lead in set four. A service ace by Kailey Ballou capped the rally. The Wildcats led 18-14 late, and secured the win by scoring the next four points for a 22-14 lead. Saint Anselm registered the next two points, but Daemen closed out the set with three unanswered points for a 25-16 lead.
Four unanswered points gave the Wildcats an early 6-2 lead in the fifth and deciding set. Saint Anselm pulled to within a point at 8-7, but Daemen held off the Hawks and scored four of the next five points for a 12-8 lead. Saint Anselm came no closer than two points down the stretch and a kill by Scanlan secured the set and the match for Daemen.
Daemen returns to action next weekend when its hosts Molloy College (Oct. 21) and Queens College (Oct. 22) in ECC action.
For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen women's volleyball team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenVB on Twitter.
