AMHERST, N.Y.- In what was their first five-set match of the season, Daemen lost a hard-fought match to visiting Dowling College (25-18, 25-20, 13-25, 23-25, 6-15) in their East Coast Conference home-opener tonight at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 set-lead, but Dowling stormed back to take the final three, and the match. The loss snapped Daemen's six-match home winning streak, and dropped the Wildcats to 8-6 on the year and 2-3 in conference play.

The first set was a mostly a back-and-forth affair, before Daemen broke an 18-18 tie with a 7-0 run to close it out. They used that momentum to fuel their second-set victory, a set in which they never trailed en route to a 25-20 win.

However, Dowling responded with a set of their own in which they never trailed, coasting to a 25-13 victory in the third. That third set would prove to be the turning point in the match, as Dowling never looked back, grabbing a close 25-23 win in the fourth before gliding to a 15-6 victory in the deciding fifth set.

Strong performances from Kayla Dillman and Cassy Kelly led the way for the Golden Lions in their victory. Dillman racked up 48 assists, and Kelly posted a team-best 16 kills to go along with 11 digs. Nicole Parkas and Kayla Morgan each had over 20 digs apiece as well, with Parkas notching 22 while Morgan added 21.

Daemen's efforts in the loss were anchored by seniors Kaley Vazquez (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West) and Paige Tilert (Derby, N.Y./Genesee CC), and junior Lindsey Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y/Immaculata). Vazquez notched 19 assists to lead Daemen, Tilert had a team-high 23 digs, and Nowak paced the Wildcats with 13 kills. Junior Brittany Anthon (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) chipped in a nice all-around performance with nine kills and 14 digs.

The two teams had gotten familiar with one another already this season.  Daemen knocked off the Golden Lions on their home floor just six days ago in four sets.

Daemen's next match is a home tilt tomorrow morning against the visiting University of Bridgeport Purple Knights. The match is at 11 a.m. in the Lumsden Gymnasium. The Purple Knights come to Daemen with a 4-1 overall record, and an unblemished 3-0 record in ECC play after defeating Roberts Wesleyan College tonight in four sets.