AMHERST, NY - After riding a wave of high emotions stemming from a solid 3rd place showing at the Ramada Plaza Tournament  this past Thursday and Friday, the Daemen Wildcats came out flat for their home opener and paid the price as they suffered a 3-0 defeat (12-25, 20-25, 23-25) at the hands of visiting Cornerstone University (MI).  Daemen falls to 3-2 with the loss, while Cornerstone opens their season at 1-0.

Sophomore setter Kim Weaver (Rockford, MI/Grand Rapids C.C.) dominated the match for the Golden Eagles.  The six-footer frustrated the Daemen defense with an array of sets and tip-kills.  She was also a strong presence blocking in Cornerstone's front row.

"Weaver was just unbelievable," lauded Daemen Head Coach Mark Parisi after the match.  "She made great decisions for them all match long."

Compounding matters for Daemen was the fact that this was their fifth match in the last three days, while Cornerstone was fresh, having not played yet this season.

"It was a bit of quirky scheduling, but that's not an excuse; we just did not perform well today," Parisi said.  "Our passing and setting has to improve as well as our serve receptions.  We'll get there."

Sophomore Jenn Karan (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park HS) led Daemen with 11 kills.  Junior Joanna Fretthold (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda HS) added 10 kills and 11 digs.  Junior Libero Katie Auge (Salamanca, NY/Salamanca HS) led in digs with 12 while senior setter Kimmie Mack (Livonia, NY/Livonia HS) notched a team-best 14 assists.

Next up for the Wildcats is a trip to Dearborn, MI next weekend for the University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Bird Tournament.  While there, Daemen will take on Spring Arbor (MI) and Lourdes (OH) on Friday, before meeting Indiana University-East, who won the Ramada Plaza Tournament and is ranked just outside the top 25, on Saturday.