BOCA RATON, Fla.- The Daemen College women's volleyball team earned their first win of the season today at the Courtyard by Marriott Invitational tournament, emerging victorious in the first of their two matches of the day. They soundly defeated Fort Valley State (FVSU), winning in straight sets 25-17, 25-5, 25-13. Unfortunately, the Wildcats fell in their second match of the day to tournament host Lynn University.  The day's split runs Daemen's record to 1-3 on the season.
 
After dropping their first two matches of the tournament on Friday, Daemen showed tremendous resolve in their first match on Saturday, handing FVSU a resounding loss in three sets. The Wildcats never trailed in the first two sets, and despite facing a 3-0 deficit early in the third, they responded with five straight points to take a 5-3 lead - a lead they would not relinquish en route to a 25-13 win to close out the match.
 
Ye Wang (Beijing, China/Hachioji Jissen) anchored Daemen in their straight-set win against Fort Valley State, notching 10 kills and an outstanding .643 hitting percentage - both team highs for the match. Paige Tilert (Derby, N.Y./Genesee CC) paced the Wildcats with 11 digs, and Ryanne Dugan (Forestville, N.Y./Forestville Central) added a team-best nine assists. As a team, Daemen had a .230 hitting percentage in the win, their highest of the tournament.
 
FVSU's efforts were led by Briana Shepherd (four kills), Antonia Minningan (seven assists) and Karli Brown (12 digs). FVSU was hurt by errors and a lack of depth, as they only fielded eight players versus a 16-player Daemen rotation while finishing with a negative hitting percentage (-.030) in the match.
 
Daemen's second match of the day, a tilt against Lynn University, would not end with as positive an outcome for the Wildcats. Despite keeping each set close and holding a lead at some point in each set, Daemen was defeated in straight sets by the Fighting Knights, 19-25, 21-25, 20-25.
 
Wang, Kaley Vazquez (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West) and Chelsea Turcer (Alexander, N.Y./Alexander Central) led Daemen against a strong Lynn squad, who came into the matchup having won six of their previous eight matches. Wang again paced the Wildcats in kills with 14, while Turcer and Vazquez each added double-digit assists, posting 14 and 19, respectively. Vazquez' 19 helpers were a team-high, while Turcer's nine digs were a Wildcat best.
 
Despite the efforts of Wang, Vazquez, Turcer and the rest of the Wildcats, Lynn proved too much in the end. The Fighting Knights were anchored by strong performances from Marissa Tandron, Katie Knight and Nikki Haben. Knight led Lynn with 10 kills, while Haben paced the Fighting Knights in digs, racking up 12. Tandron notched an impressive 32 assists against Daemen, while also posting a team-high hitting percentage of .455.

Wang was named to the all-tournament team for her strong play in all four matches this weekend.
 
Daemen's match against Lynn was their final contest of the Courtyard by Marriott Invitational. The Wildcats will head home for a week off before their next match. They'll be taking part in the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Springfield, Mass. with their first match coming against Bloomfield College on Sept. 21. at 5 p.m.