THE MATCHUP: The Daemen College women's volleyball heads to Springfield, Mass. to take part in the Yellow Jacket Invitational hosted by American International College...the Wildcats will play four matches over two days...live stats and streaming video for select games at the tournament, including three of Daemen's four matches, can be accessed HERE.

THE COACH: Mark Parisi is in his ninth year as head women's volleyball coach at Daemen and owns a 127-144 (.469) 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.

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 WILDCATS (1-3): Daemen returns nine players from last year's team that posted a 27-10 record and claimed the USCAA national championship...Daemen is ranked fifth in the East Coast Conference preseason poll...juniors Ye Wang (Beijing, China/Hachioji Jissen) and Lindsey Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y./Immaculata) 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, a junior outside hitter, ranked third on the team in kills (284) and fourth in blocks (51) last year...Vazquez totaled a team-high 761 assists last year and has already eclipsed 2,000 for her career (2,107)...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 last weekend...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...Wang was named to the all-tournament team after posting 48 kills (3.43 per set) and a .337 hitting percentage over the four matches...she had 14 kills in the loss to Lynn...additional production came from Vazquez (61 asts, 24 digs), Nowak (31 kills, 7 aces, 20 digs), and Tilert (47 digs).

THE DEACONS (0-5): Bloomfield is a member of the NCAA Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC)...the Deacons were picked fifth in the CACC North preseason poll...Bloomfield's 16-player roster features 11 freshmen...the Deacons return just five players players from last year's team that posted a 4-17 record...juniors Deandra Black and Karol Oliveros will provide veteran leadership this fall...Black ranked second in kills (143) last year, while Oliveros ranked second in assists (257) and digs (147) and led the team in aces (31)...the Deacons opened the season with four-straight non-league losses to Saint Rose (3-0), Roberts Wesleyan (3-0), Le Moyne (3-2) and Ursuline (3-0), and opened league play this past Tuesday with a 3-0 loss at Post...Black had 14 kills in the loss to Le Moyne and has totaled 32 kills thus far...Oliveros had 22 assists against Le Moyne and has totaled 55 assists (3.24 per set) and 24 digs...freshmen Juliette Monroy (40 kls, 7 aces, 34 digs), Jacquelyn Madlock (50 asts, 32 digs) and Franchely Inoa (39 digs) have also produced.

THE YELLOW JACKETS (5-4): American International is a member of the NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10)...the Yellow Jackets were picked eighth in the NE-10 preseason poll...the Yellow Jackets return nine players from last season's squad that finished 16-14 overall...senior Caitlin Connelly and sophomore Britt Bryant top the list of returning players...Connelly, a three-time all-league selection, led the team in kills (326) and also recorded 328 digs last year...Bryant was named to the NE-10 all-rookie team after recording 240 kills and 80 blocks...AIC went 4-4 during season-opening tournaments hosted by Alaska-Anchorage and Pace, and opened conference play with a thrilling 3-2 (25-23, 16-25, 25-23, 23-25, 17-15) victory at Stonehill this past Tuesday...newcomer Melanie Garcia totaled 22 kills and 14 digs against Stonehill and has totaled 99 kills, 87 digs and 14 aces thus far...Connelly totaled 31 digs in a 3-2 win over Caldwell and has recorded a team-high 167 digs...additional production has come from sophomore Bailey Swan (90 kills, 78 digs) and freshman Hannah Smith (265 asts, 69 digs, 14 aces).

THE WARRIORS (5-3): East Stroudsburg is a member of the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)...the Warriors were picked seventh in the PSAC East preseason poll...the Warriors return seven players from last season's squad that finished 7-20 overall...senior Allye Preziosi (473 asts, 237 digs, 49 bls, 31 aces), junior Annebelle Charlton (209 kills, 325 asts, 279 digs) and sophomore Maddie Hutchison (424 digs) top the list of returning players...ESU went 3-1 during its season-opening tournament, before suffering losses to Holy Family (3-1) and New Haven (3-0) last weekend...the Warriors opened league play with a 3-0 win over Cheyney on Tuesday and scored a 3-2 win against Philadelphia in a non-league contest on Wednesday...freshman Sydney Galoozis recorded 14 kills in the loss to Holy Family and has totaled 76 kills thus far...Charlton recorded 18 kills in a 3-2 season-opening win over Mercy...she ranks second in kills (69), digs (85) and assists (104)...Preziosi handed out 18 assists in a 3-0 win over Georgia Court and has totaled a team-high 136 assists thus far.

THE SETTERS (2-6): Pace is a member of the NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10)...the Setters were picked seventh in the NE-10 preseason poll...the Setters were hit hard by graduation and return just  five players from last season's squad that finished 17-18 and advanced to the semifinals of the NE-10 Tournament...sophomores Alyssa Marchino (228 digs, 21 aces) and Rebecca Italiano (117 kills) top the list of returning players...Pace opened the season by going 1-3 at the Shepherd University Tournament and also lost three of four matches during its own Pace Setter Classic last weekend...freshman Ashley DiFulvio totaled 14 kills in a 3-0 win over Bowie State and has totaled a team-high 75 kills thus far...fellow rookie Miki Carver handed out 42 assists in a 3-1 win over Nyack and has totaled a team-high 180 assists (6.67 per set)...additional production has come from Marchino (67 kills, 98 digs) and Italiano (136 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.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats return to action Wednesday (Sept. 25) when they host Le Moyne College in their 2013 home-opener...game time is 7 p.m. at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.

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.