THE LEAD: The Daemen College women's volleyball team hosts Edinboro University of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in a non-league match Tuesday (Oct. 7)…it marks the first of four-straight home matches for the Wildcats.
Tuesday, Oct. 7
Edinboro at Daemen - 7 p.m.
Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.
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 following a 3-0 victory over Mercy College on Sept. 28 and owns a 150-168 (.472) 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. Missy Soboleski is in her 10th season as head volleyball coach at Edinboro...a 1993 graduate of Gannon, she previously served as head coach at Gannon (1995-98) and Mercyhurst (1999-204) and entered the 2013 season with a career coaching record of 337-299 (.530)...she has led Edinboro to six (2005, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11) NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.
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: Daemen and Edinboro have met in each of the previous seven seasons...the Fighting Scots have prevailed in six of the previous seven meetings…Edinboro had won five-straight meetings before the Wildcats posted a 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-12) win at Lumsden Gymnasium two years ago…the Fighting Scots rallied for a 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 15-25, 25-19, 15-11) win at Edinboro last year…Marah Maycock led the hosts with 19 kills, while Katie Felix added 42 assists…Ye Wang (14 kills, 6 blocks) and Kaley Vazquez (30 assists) paced the Wildcats.
THE WILDCATS (1-17; 1-5 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 with losses to Roberts Wesleyan (3-0), Dowling (3-0) and Bridgeport (3-0), before posting a 3-0 league win over Mercy on Sept. 28…the Wildcats are coming off losses to Le Moyne (3-1), Queens (3-1) and Molloy (3-0) last week…Nowak has recorded double-digit kills in 11 of the last 14 matches and had a career-high 21 kills in a recent 3-2 loss to Kutztown…she leads the team in kills (202) and blocks (22) and ranks third in digs (66)…Drzymala had a career-high 22 kills and a season-high 21 digs in the loss to Kutztown…she leads the team in digs (173) and service aces (27) and ranks second in kills (161)…McKrell had 63 assists in the five-set loss to Kutztown and has totaled a team-high 342 assists…additional production has come from Turcer (160 digs), sophomore Ryanne Dugan (104 assists), Reeser (105 kills, 19 blocks) and Steck (59 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.
THE FIGHTING SCOTS (13-5; 6-3 PSAC): Edinboro was picked sixth in the PSAC West preseason poll...the Fighting Scots finished 18-18 overall (9-13 PSAC) last fall...Edinboro won 12 of its first 14 matches, but is just 1-3 over its last four matches...the Fighting Scots are coming off losses to Seton Hill (3-2) and California Pa. (3-0) this past weekend…sophomore Jen Gruber had 13 kills in a recent 3-1 win over Slippery Rock and has totaled a team-high 155 kills…additional production has come from juniors Marah Maycock (135 kills, 157 digs, 17 aces) and Maria Concheck (112 kills, 63 blocks), senior Haley Marett (317 digs) and freshman Sydney Trathen (432 assists, 151 digs, 19 aces).
HOME SWEET HOME: Daemen is 18-7 at Lumsden Gym since the start of the 2011 season.
ROAD WARRIORS: Daemen has played 129 matches since the start of the 2011 season and 104 of the 129 matches have been played away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gym. The Wildcats are 59-45 (.567) on the road since the start of the 2011 season.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats return to East Coast Conference action this weekend when they play host to New York Tech (Oct. 11) and LIU Post (Oct. 12)…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.
