Dowling vs. Daemen
Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 - 7 p.m.
Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y. / LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO
Bridgeport vs. Daemen
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 - 11 a.m.
Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y. / LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO
THE LEAD: The Daemen College women's volleyball team plays its first home games of the 2014 season when it hosts Dowling College and the University of Bridgeport this weekend. The Wildcats square off against Dowling Friday (Sept. 19) night, and return to action Saturday (Sept. 20) morning against Bridgeport. Both games will be played at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.
THE COACHES: Mark Parisi begins his 10th year as head women's volleyball coach at Daemen and entered the 2014 season just one win shy of 150 for his career. He owns a 149-161 (.481) 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…Kevin DesLauriers is in his second season as head women's volleyball coach at Dowling...he previously served as an assistant coach at Stony Brook and as head coach at LIU-Southampton…Gary Mullin is in his first season as head women's volleyball coach at Bridgeport after spending the previous five years as assistant volleyball coach at Trinity College…he inherits a program that has made five consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
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 very limited history with their two opponents this weekend...Daemen will be meeting both Dowling and Bridgeport for just the third time ever...the Wildcats split their two meetings with Dowling last year…Daemen posted a 3-1 victory at Dowling in what marked Daemen's first-ever ECC victory…the Golden Lions answered with a 3-2 win at Lumsden Gym…Bridgeport posted two wins over Daemen last fall, a 3-2 decision at Lumsden Gym and a 3-1 victory at Bridgeport.
THE WILDCATS (0-10, 0-0 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 are expected to make an immediate impact…click HERE for a complete season preview…the Wildcats opened the 2014 season at the East-West Challenge in Hawaii and remained winless after dropping four matches at the Eckerd College Classic last weekend…Daemen opened ECC play this past Tuesday with a 3-0 loss at Roberts Wesleyan…Nowak recored double-digit kills in six-straight matches and totaled 15 kills in a 3-1 loss to Eckerd…she has totaled a team-high 101 kills and was named to the Eckerd College Classic all-tournament team…Drzymala equaled her career-high for kills (16) in a 3-1 loss to Queens and has totaled 91 kills and 73 digs…McKrell had 27 assists in the 3-1 loss to Queens and has totaled a team-high 156 assists…additional production has come from Turcer (93 digs), sophomore Ryanne Dugan (70 assists, 25 digs), Reeser (38 kills, 12 blocks) and Steck (32 kills, 24 digs).
THE GOLDEN LIONS (5-5; 0-1 ECC): Dowling was picked fifth in the ECC preseason poll...the Golden Lions posted a 19-13 overall record (10-6 ECC) and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament last year...Dowling has appeared in the last 12 NCAA Tournaments and placed third overall in 2010...Dowling opened the year with five-straight wins, but is winless in its last five…the Golden Lions opened ECC play with a 3-0 loss at Bridgeport this past Tuesday…junior Jessica Kalbfleisch collected second team All-ECC honors last fall after posting a team-high 386 kills…Kalbfleisch had 25 kills in a 3-2 loss to Bentley last weekend and has totaled a team-high 104 kills…additional production has come from senior Cassy Kelly (97 kills, 96 digs), junior Kayla Dillman (219 assists), junior Kayla Morgan (168 digs) and sophomore Katarzyna Klocek (70 kills, 28 blks).
THE PURPLE KNIGHTS (6-1; 1-0 ECC): Bridgeport is the defending ECC regular-season and tournament champion and was picked second in the ECC preseason poll...the Purple Knights return four all-conference players from last year's team that posted a 22-3 record (15-1 ECC) and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament...the Purple Knights have been one of the premiere programs in the region in recent years, advancing to the NCAAs in each of the past six seasons...seniors Biljana Savic, Larissa Oliveira and Ying Shen and junior Sarah Rosa all return after earning All-ECC honors last year…Savic, who tootled 218 kills, 578 assists and 295 digs and was named ECC Player of the Year last year, was selected ECC pre-season Player of the Year this fall…the Purple Knights opened the season by winning three of four matches at the Palm Beach Atlantic University tournament and enters the weekend with a three-match winning streak…UB defeated Franklin Pierce (3-0) and Southern Connecticut (3-0) last weekend, and opened ECC play with a 3-0 win over Dowling this past Tuesday...Rosa was named ECC Player of the Week on Monday…she totaled 17 kills against Franklin Pierce and has totaled a team-high 84 kills…newcomer Giovana Soares was named ECC Setter of the Week on Monday…she had 36 assists and 11 digs against Franklin Pierce and has totaled 151 assists and 59 digs…additional production has come from Shen (58 kills, 68 digs), Savic (55 kills, 81 sets, 50 digs), Oliveira (46 kills, 21 blocks) and senior Michele Santos (97 digs).
HOME SWEET HOME: Daemen is undefeated in its last six home matches dating back to last season and is 17-5 at Lumsden Gym since the start of the 2011 season…Bridgeport is the last team to defeat DC at home, posting a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats on Oct. 5, 2013.
ROAD WARRIORS: Daemen has played 121 matches since the start of the 2011 season and 99 of the 121 matches have been played away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gym. The Wildcats are 59-40 (.596) on the road since the start of the 2011 season.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats are idle until next weekend. DC will take part in a tri-match at Lock Haven University Saturday (Sept. 27) and then play an ECC match at Mercy College Sunday (Sept. 28). 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.
