THE MATCHUPS: Mercy College hosts Daemen College in East Coast Conference women's volleyball action...game time is 7 p.m.

THE COACHES: Mark Parisi is in his ninth year as head women's volleyball coach at Daemen and owns a 134-148 (.475) 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...Kelly Wengerter is in her first season as head volleyball coach at Mercy...a 2005 graduate of Lock Haven, she previously served as head coach at American International College and New Jersey City University.

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: Friday's match will mark the first ever meeting between Daemen and Mercy.

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 Oct. 4...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 won six of their first nine matches, but have gone 2-4 over their last six...Daemen is coming off back-to-back 3-2 losses to Dowling and Bridgeport last weekend...additional league losses have against LIU Post (3-1) and NYIT (3-1), while ECC wins have come over Roberts Wesleyan (3-0) and Dowling (3-1)...Wang was named ECC Player of the Week earlier this year and has recorded 10 or more kills in 13 of Daemen's 15 matches...she had a season-high 18 kills in a 3-1 win over Bloomfield and leads the team in kills (180), hitting percentage (.303) and blocks (58)...additional production has come from Vazquez (274 asts, 102 digs, 20 aces), Nowak (133 kills, 14 aces, 24 blks), Turcer (202 asts, 16 aces, 87 digs) and Tilert (256 digs)...senior Brittany Anthon (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) had a season-high 13 kills and added 12 digs in the loss to Bridgeport last weekend and ranks third in kills (102) and second in digs (151).

THE MAVERICKS: Mercy was picked ninth in the ECC preseason poll...the Mavericks return eight players from last season's squad that finished 3-26 overall (0-15 ECC)...Mercy prevailed in five of its first nine matches, but has won just twice in the last six...the Mavericks went 2-2 in matches played last week, defeating Chestnut Hill (3-1) and Bentley (3-1) and dropping conference matches against LIU Post (3-0) and New York Tech (3-0)...Mercy's other two league losses have come against Molloy (3-0) and Queens (3-0)...juniors Brenna White and McKenna Ronan and senior Mallorie Hopkins have paced the Mavericks thus far...White was named ECC Player of the Week earlier this year and has totaled a team-high 255 kills...she also ranks second on the team in digs (172) and recorded 25 kills and seven digs in the win over Bentley last weekend...Ronan totaled a season-high 51 assists in a 3-2 win over Assumption last month and is averaging a team-high 8.68 assists per set...Hopkins registered a season-high 40 digs in a 3-2 loss to Nyack last month and has totaled a team-high 261 digs...additional production has come from sophomore Sonia Morales (81 kills, 58 blks) and senior Kirstie Zubiate (144 digs).

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 19-9 against NCAA Division II opponents since the start of the 2012 season...Ye Wang ranks third among the ECC leaders in both kills per set (3.31) and hitting percentage (.303)...Paige Tilert ranks third among the ECC leaders in digs per set (4.61)

ROAD WARRIORS: Daemen has played 93 matches since the start of the 2011 season and 77 of the 93 matches have been played away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gym...the Wildcats are 50-27 (.649) on the road since the start of the 2011 season and 11-5 in home matches during that time.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats return to action Tuesday (Oct. 15) when they travel to Edinboro University for a non-league match...Daemen's next home match is set for Saturday, Oct. 19 when it hosts Queens College at 2 p.m.

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.