THE MATCHUP: Roberts Wesleyan College hosts long-time rival Daemen College in East Coast Conference women's volleyball action...game time is 7 p.m...live stats and video can be access HERE.

THE COACHES: Mark Parisi is in his ninth year as head women's volleyball coach at Daemen and owns a 133-146 (.477) career record...success has been the norm in recent years, as the Wildcats have averaged 21 wins a year over the past four seasons under Parisi's guidance...the program is coming off back-to-back seasons of 25-plus victories and last year posted a 27-10 record en route to a United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championship...Jon and Kirsten Meyers are in their sixth year as head women's volleyball coaches at Roberts Wesleyan and entered the 2013 season with a 94-77 (.550) career record...they were named ECC Coaches of the Year after leading the Redhawks to a 20-12 overall record and a third-place showing (11-4) in the ECC last fall.

NCAA DIVISION II: Daemen is in Candidacy Year Two of the NCAA Division II membership process...Daemen has been accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) and will play full regular-season conference schedules beginning this fall...the College will also maintain its affiliation with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) for postseason opportunities, as it will not be eligible for the ECC or NCAA postseason during Candidacy Year Two.

THE HISTORY: Daemen and RWC are former American Mideast Conference rivals, and both are currently transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II...Daemen has dominated the series in recent years, prevailing in eight of the last 11 meetings...the teams met twice last year and each team won on their home court...the Wildcats posted a 3-0 victory at Lumsden Gymnasium on Sept. 25...Joanna Fretthold led a balanced attack with nine kills and 10 digs, while Kaley Vazquez added 17 assists...Maggie Concannon totaled 21 assists for RWC...the Redhawks answered with a 3-2 win at the Voller Athletic Center on Oct. 27...the win snapped a four-match losing streak to the Wildcats...Alexa Antoni (20 kills, 20 digs) and Concannon (61 asts) paced the hosts...Jenn Karan (18 kills) and Vazquez (35 asts) led the Wildcats, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit but fell 15-7 in the fifth set.

THE WILDCATS: Daemen returns nine players from last year's team that posted a 27-10 record and claimed the USCAA championship...Daemen is ranked fifth in the East Coast Conference preseason poll...the Wildcats are ranked third in the USCAA poll released Sept. 27...juniors Ye Wang (Beijing, China/Hachioji Jissen), Lindsey Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y./Immaculata) and Chelsea Turcer (Alexander, N.Y./Alexander Central) and seniors Kaley Vazquez (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West) and Paige Tilert (Derby, N.Y./Genesee CC) top the list of returning players...Wang, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker, earned second team USCAA All-America honors last fall after posting 265 kills, a .362 hitting percentage and 119 blocks...Nowak, an outside hitter, ranked third on the team in kills (284) and fourth in blocks (51) last year...Turcer ranked second on the team in assists (538)...Vazquez totaled a team-high 761 assists last year and entered the 2013 season with 2,107 helpers...Tilert, a defensive specialist, recorded 401 digs (third on the team) a year ago...the Wildcats opened the 2013 season at the Courtyard by Marriott Invitational hosted by Lynn University...Daemen suffered losses to Saint Leo (3-1) and UPR-Mayaguez (3-1), before posting a 3-0 victory over Fort Valley State...the Wildcats suffered a 3-0 loss to Lynn in their tournament finale...the Wildcats bounced back with an impressive showing at the Yellow Jacket Invitational hosted by American International College...Daemen swept through the weekend with wins over Bloomfield (3-1), AIC (3-0), East Stroudsburg (3-0) and Pace (3-0)...Daemen ran its winning streak to five-straight matches following a 3-0 win over Le Moyne in its home-opener last Wednesday...the Wildcats dropped two of three matches during a trip to Long Island, N.Y. this past weekend, losing to LIU-Post (3-1) and New York Tech (3-0) and defeating Dowling (3-1)...the win over Dowling marked Daemen's first-ever ECC victory...Wang had 17 kills and five blocks in the win over Dowling and leads the team in kills (145), hitting percentage (.354) and blocks (39)...additional production has come from Vazquez (211 asts, 73 digs, 18 aces), Nowak (106 kills, 12 aces, 34 digs, 17 blks), Turcer (155 asts, 13 aces, 67 digs) and Tilert (203 digs)...junior Brittany Anthon (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) had 11 kills and 14 digs in the win over Dowling and ranks third in kills (75) and second in digs (112).

THE REDHAWKS: Roberts Wesleyan was picked third in the ECC preseason poll...the Redhawks return nine players from last year's team that posted a 20-12 record (11-4 ECC)...juniors Jordan Wilson and Kendall Havener both collected All-ECC honors last year, while sophomore setter Maggie Concannon was tabbed ECC Rookie of the Year...Wilson totaled 267 kills and 65 blocks last year, while Havener added 266 kills, 45 aces and a team-high 106 blocks...Concannon dished out 1,187 assists as a freshman...the Redhawks dropped four of their first six matches this year, but have won two of their last three...the Redhawks opened conference play with losses at LIU-Post (3-0) and New York Tech (3-0) a week and a half ago...RWC is coming off a 3-0 victory at Houghton last Wednesday...Wilson recorded 17 kills in a 3-1 win over Le Moyne and has totaled a team-high 82 kills...Kendall ranks third in kills (60) and has totaled a team-high 22 blocks...Concannon dished out 42 assists in the win over Houghton last week and is averaging 9.57 assists per set...freshman Alexandre Tahauri ranks second in kills (79) and the third in digs (61), while sophomore Olivia Zureck has registered a team-high 84 digs.

HONOR ROLL: Ye Wang was named to the weekly ECC honor roll on Monday after totaling 44 kills during a 2-2 week...she totaled 17 kills, seven digs and five blocks in a 3-1 win over Dowling on Sunday--Daemen's first-ever ECC victory.

DID YOU KNOW?: The Wildcats went 11-2 against NCAA Division II opponents last fall in what was the College's first year of NCAA Division II candidacy...Daemen is 18-7 against NCAA Division II opponents since the start of the 2012 season.

ROAD WARRIORS: Daemen has played 90 matches since the start of the 2011 season and 76 of the 90 matches have been played away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gym...the Wildcats are 49-27 (.645) on the road since the start of the 2011 season and 11-3 in home matches during that time...Daemen currently owns a six-match home winning streak.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats return to action this weekend when they host Dowling (Oct. 4) and Bridgeport (Oct. 5) in ECC matches at Lumsden Gymnasium...Friday's match against Dowling begins at 7 p.m., while Saturday's match against the Purple Knights is set for an 11 a.m. start.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College athletics on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.