AMHERST, N.Y. – Sophomore
Allison Post (Windsor, Calf.) of the women's volleyball team and redshirt sophomore
Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) of the men's basketball team have been named the Daemen College Student-Athletes of the Month presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC for November, 2018.
Post, a 6-foot outside hitter, totaled 61 kills (3.21 per set) and 68 digs while leading the regionally-ranked women's volleyball team to a 4-1 month. She also added 15 service aces and four blocks over the five matches.
She opened the month with 17 kills, six service aces and 14 digs to help Daemen rally for a 3-2 win at upset-minded Mercy College on Nov. 3. That win clinched the East Coast Conference regular-season title for the Wildcats. Post registered another double-double (10 kills, 14 digs) and also recorded five service aces in a 3-0 sweep at the University of Bridgeport the following day. A rematch with Bridgeport in the opening round of the ECC Tournament saw Post deliver a season-high 27 digs to go along with nine kills and four aces. Daemen dispatched Molloy College (3-1) in the ECC Tournament championship game the next night, as Post came through with a team-high 18 kills to lead the Wildcats to their first-ever ECC Tournament title and an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Championship Tournament.
Post missed the first 12 matches of the season, but played in 18 of the final 20 matches and was in the starting lineup for each of the final eight games. Daemen went 13-5 when she was in the lineup, and just 8-6 with her not in action. She closed out the year ranked first on the team and seventh among all ECC players in kills per set (2.78). She also ranked fifth on the team in both service aces (27) and digs (156) and third in digs per set (2.64). She registered double-digit kills in six of the final eight matches.
Daemen, which was ranked third in the final NCAA Division II East Region poll, closed out the year with a 21-11 overall record and a 13-1 mark in the ECC. The Wildcats claimed their second ECC regular-season title and their first-ever ECC Tournament championship. The Wildcats also made their second appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament in three years.
Sischo entered the 2018-19 season with high expectations after being named ECC Preseason Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9 center more than lived up to the preseason hype, as he led the Wildcats to a 4-1 record while averaging 22.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Along the way he was twice named ECC Player of the Week.
Sischo opened the 2018-19 season with back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Caldwell University (75-60) and Nyack College (83-72) during the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC. He connected on 10-of-14 shots and totaled 27 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Caldwell, and followed up with 17 points and 10 boards against Nyack.
He posted another double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) in just 28 minutes during 67-65 loss at regionally-ranked Mercyhurst University on Nov. 14, but the highlight of the month came on Nov. 24 during a home win (78-71) over Slippery Rock University. Sischo's effort that night was especially impressive, as he got the better of his highly anticipated matchup with SRU's Micah Till—a Preseason All-American pick by Street & Smith Magazine. Sischo played 37 of a possible 40 minutes, made 10-of-21 shots and 11-of-12 free throws and totaled 31 points and 15 rebounds. Till put up 21 points on 9-of-22 shooting, and added nine boards and three blocks. Sischo capped the month with his fifth-straight double-double during a rout of Lake Erie College. He overcame a slow start and finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Thirteen of his 20 points came after halftime.
Through the first month of the season, Sischo ranks second among the ECC scoring leaders (22.4 ppg) and first among the league's rebounding leaders (11.6 rpg). He also ranks fourth in blocks per game (1.2) and sixth in field goal percentage (.554). Sischo was an eight-time ECC Rookie of the Week honoree, and a one-time ECC Player of the Week honoree last year. This is the third time he has been named Daemen Athlete of the Month.
Daemen, which is ranked sixth in the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll, opened the year ranked No. 22 in the Division II Bulletin preseason national poll, while also receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and D2SIDA preseason national polls.
Sischo and the Wildcats return to action Wednesday (Dec. 5) when they open ECC play at longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan College.That game has been selected to be broadcast as part of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase.
Additional student-athletes considered for Athlete of the Month honors included
Cristina Apostol (Bucharest, Romania) of the women's volleyball team, Amber Custodi (Ransonville, N.Y.) of the women's triathlon team, Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) of the women's basketball team,
Jeff Redband(Batavia, N.Y.) of the men's basketball team and Mike Swiniarski (Akron, N.Y.) of the men's cross country team.
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