THE LEAD: The Daemen College women's volleyball team returns to East Coast Conference play this weekend when it travels to Queens College (Oct. 3) and Molloy College (Oct. 4).
Friday, Oct. 3
Daemen at Queens - 7 p.m. / LIVE STATS
Saturday, Oct. 4
Daemen at Molloy - Noon / LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO
THE COACHES: Mark Parisi is in his 10th year as head women's volleyball coach at Daemen…he recorded his 150th career victory this past Sunday following a 3-0 victory over Mercy College and owns a 150-166 (.475) career record. Success has been the norm in recent years, as the Wildcats have posted at least 23 wins in each of the last three seasons and have claimed back-to-back (2012, 2013) United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championships. Leanna Taylor is in her fourth season as head volleyball coach at Queens. Billy Corrao is in his fourth season as head volleyball coach at Molloy.
MOVE TO II: Daemen is in Candidacy Year Three of the NCAA Division II membership process. Daemen has been accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) and began playing full regular-season conference schedules last 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 Three.
THE HISTORY: The Wildcats have a limited history with their two opponents this weekend...Daemen will be meeting Queens for just the third time…Daemen and Queens met for the first time ever last year and Daemen swept the season series…the Wildcats posted a 3-1 victory (25-18, 25-13, 19-25, 25-23) at Lumsden Gym and completed the sweep with a 3-1 win (22-25, 25-20, 27-25, 25-13) at Queens…Daemen will be meeting Molloy for the fourth time…the Wildcats have prevailed in the previous three meetings…DC swept the Lions last year, posting a 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-20) victory at Daemen and completing the sweep with a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-23, 25-22) at Molloy…the teams met for the first time ever during the 2012 season…Daemen posted a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 25-21) victory at Lumsden Gymnasium...it marked the 2012 season-finale for Daemen.
THE WILDCATS (1-15, 1-3 ECC): Daemen returns 10 players from last year's team that posted a 23-10 record and claimed its second-straight USCAA championship...Daemen went 10-6 in the competitive East Coast Conference last fall and was voted third in the ECC preseason poll this year…graduation took its toll with the loss of the team's top setter and defensive specialist, and Parisi must also overcome the loss of middle blocker Ye Wang who has decided to red-shirt the 2014 season…a two-time USCAA All-America selection, Wang also earned first-team All-ECC honors last fall after leading the team in kills (397) and blocks (97)…seniors Lindsey Nowak and Chelsea Turcer and sophomore Amber Drzymala top the list of returning players…Nowak was a first-team USCAA All-America selection last fall after ranking second on the team in kills (296) and third in blocks (38)…Turcer ranked second on the team in assists (487), third in service aces (38) and fifth in digs (164)…Drzymala played in 28 of 33 matches as a freshman and totaled 263 digs, 144 kills and 32 service aces…newcomers Katie McKrell, Jenna Reeser and Jakki Steck have all made an immediate impact…the Wildcats opened ECC play last week with losses to Roberts Wesleyan (3-0), Dowling (3-0) and Bridgeport (3-0), before dropping non-league matches to Kutztown (3-2) and Lock Haven (3-0) this past Saturday…Daemen rebounded with its first win of the season last Sunday, as the Wildcats posted a 3-0 win (26-24, 25-21, 25-22) over ECC rival Mercy at Lumsden Gym…the Wildcats are coming off a 3-1 non-league loss at Le Moyne Wednesday…Nowak has recorded double-digit kills in 10 of the last 12 matches and had a career-high 21 kills in the loss to Kutztown…she leads the team in kills (180) and blocks (17) and ranks third in digs (58)…Drzymala has recorded a double-double (kills-digs) in each of the last four games…she had a career-high 22 kills and a season-high 21 digs in the loss to Kutztown…she leads the team in service aces (23) and ranks second in both kills (148) and digs (143)…McKrell had 63 assists in the five-set loss to Kutztown and has totaled a team-high 295 assists…additional production has come from Turcer (144 digs), sophomore Ryanne Dugan (104 assists), Reeser (91 kills, 15 blocks) and Steck (55 kills)…Reeser had a season-high 14 kills in the loss to Kutztown and added a team-high 12 kills in the win over Mercy…sophomore Allie Witkoski had a career-high 13 sets in the loss to Lock Haven and followed up with 12 helpers in the win over Mercy.
MCKRELL, NOWAK, REESER COLLECT ECC HONORS: Freshman Katie McKrell was named ECC Setter of the Week after posting 84 assists (10.5 per match) over two matches last weekend. Her 63 sets in a 3-2 loss to Kutztown are the most in one match by an ECC player this season. She has totaled a team-high 295 assists and ranks ninth among the ECC leaders in assists per match (5.90). Senior Lindsey Nowak and freshman Jenna Reeser were named to the weekly ECC Honor Roll. Nowak posted a .258 hitting percentage and recorded 40 kills and 10 blocks over three matches. Reeser recorded the first two double-doubles of her career. She had 14 kills and 10 digs in the loss to Kutztown and registered 12 kills and 10 digs in the win over Mercy.
THE KNIGHTS (5-6; 1-3 ECC): Queens was picked eighth in the ECC preseason poll...the Knights finished 10-14 overall (4-12 ECC) last year...Queens won its first four matches this year, but is just 1-6 over its last seven…the Knights upset ECC preseason favorite LIU Post 3-1 two weeks ago, and is coming off losses to New York Tech (3-1), Dowling (3-0) and Georgian Court (3-1)…junior Arielle DiCocco had 24 kills in the win over LIU Post and has totaled a team-high 147 kills overall…additional production has come from sophomore Tori Bowser (105 kills, 26 blocks), senior Francesca Indoni (86 kills, 55 digs, 36 blocks) and juniors Taylor Garrett (371 assists, 23 aces) and Xhesi Domi (154 digs).
THE LIONS (6-7; 1-3 ECC): Molloy was picked seventh in the ECC preseason poll...the Lions posted a 9-20 record (3-13 ECC) last year...the Lions lost four of their first five matches this year, but are 5-3 over their last eight contests…Molloy travels to Caldwell College for a non-league match Thursday (Oct. 2), before facing Daemen Saturday…Molloy's lone ECC win came over Queens (3-1) and its three league losses have come against New York Tech (3-0), Bridgeport (3-0) and LIU Post (3-0)…senior Sam Berna (94 kills, 110 digs, 13 aces), juniors Cassie Palmer (93 kills, 87 digs) and Danielle Williams (86 kills, 75 digs, 17 aces) and sophomore Ally De Kruyf (366 asts, 87 digs) have led the way...Berna had 17 kills and 20 digs in a 3-2 win over Southern Connecticut, while De Kruyf registered a season-high 50 assists in a 3-2 win over Philadelphia.
HOME SWEET HOME: Daemen is 18-7 at Lumsden Gym since the start of the 2011 season.
ROAD WARRIORS: Daemen has played 127 matches since the start of the 2011 season and 102 of the 127 matches have been played away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gym. The Wildcats are 59-43 (.578) on the road since the start of the 2011 season.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats close out the non-conference portion of their schedule Tuesday (Oct. 7) when they host Edinboro University. It will mark the first of four-straight home matches for the Wildcats. Game time is 7 p.m. at Lumsden Gym. Click HERE to view Daemen's complete schedule.
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.
