RINDGE, N.H. – The first-ever meeting in women's volleyball between Daemen College and Franklin Pierce University turned out to be an instant classic.
Daemen outlasted the host Ravens for a wild 3-2 victory here tonight in non-conference play. The Wildcats appeared ready to make quick work of FPU after winning the first two sets (25-16, 25-20), but the Ravens rallied with wins in the third (25-16) and fourth (25-14) sets to force a fifth and deciding set. Daemen built an early 8-4 lead in the fifth set, but FPU rallied with a 5-1 run to tie it at 9-9. Neither team led by more than two points down the stretch and Daemen pulled out a 16-14 victory.
Daemen, which has won a season-best four-straight matches (and six of its last seven), improved to 12-6 overall. The host Ravens, members of the NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference, dropped to 5-10. Daemen is now 3-1 against Northeast-10 teams this year.
Sophomore Ashley Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) paced the Wildcats with a match-high 19 kills and 13 digs. Her sister Amber Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y. / St. Mary's of Lancaster) added 17 kills and 15 digs. Freshman Bailey Dolegowski (Marilla, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) handed out 55 set assists—two shy of her season-high, while sophomore Kailey Ballou (Eden, N.Y./Eden) led the Wildcats in digs with a season-high 20. Redshirt sophomore Courtney Scanlan (Ellicottville, N.Y./Stony Brook University) added nine kills.
Sophomore Katie Leidhold (Acushnet, Mass.) paced the Ravens with 17 kills, eight digs and three blocks, while junior Hannah St. Jean (Olympia, Wash) added 13 kills and six blocks. Junior Hannah Runge (Deltona, Fla.) dished out 39 set assists for the Ravens, while sophomore Brittney Carias (Burlingame, Calf.) registered a team-high 18 digs.
Daemen scored four of the first five points in set one, and the Wildcats later took a 13-7 lead following a FPU attack error. The lead was 16-10 when the Wildcats took control with seven unanswered points. Another FPU attack error capped the run and gave Daemen a 23-10 lead. The Ravens scored six of the next seven points to cut the lead to 24-16, but a FPU service error ended the rally and gave the Wildcats a 25-16 win.
The Wildcats trailed 10-6 early in set two, before the visitors put together an 8-4 run and tied the set at 14-14. A kill by Ashley Drzymala off a set from Dolegowski capped the run. The teams then traded points and the set was tied at 19-19 when the Wildcats recorded three unanswered points for a 22-19 lead. FPU cut the lead to two, 22-20, following a timeout, but Daemen rebounded with another three-straight points to secure the 25-20 win.
Daemen jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in set three, but the Ravens responded with six-straight points and never trailed the rest of the set. FPU took a a 16-10 lead following a kill by Leidhold, and later took a seven-point lead, 20-13, following a kill by St. Jean. Daemen scored the next two points, before the Ravens closed out the set with a 5-1 run.
FPU carried the momentum into the fourth set and opened up a 14-7 lead following a service ace by Leidhold. The FPU lead was 19-12 when the Ravens closed out the set with a 6-2 run.
Daemen built an early 8-4 lead in the fifth set, but FPU rallied with a 5-1 run to tie it at 9-9. Neither team led by more than two points down the stretch, and the set was tied at 14-14 when Daemen got the next two points to secure the win. The final two points came via a FPU set error and a match-clinching kill by Amber Drzymala.
Daemen returns to action tomorrow (Oct. 15) when it takes part in a tri-match at Mercy College. Daemen will face Mercy in an East Coast Conference match at 11:30 a.m., followed by a non-league match against Saint Anselm College of the Northeast-10.
For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen women's volleyball team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenVB on Twitter.
