| THE LEAD |
| The Daemen College women's volleyball team earned the No. 1 seed and hosting privileges in the East Coast Conference Tournament, which will take place this weekend (November 18-19) at Lumsden Gymnasium...the tournament features the top four teams in the league, No. 1 Daemen, No. 2 NYIT, No. 3 Bridgeport, and No. 4 LIU Post...the Wildcats face off against LIU Post in the first semifinal game on Friday (Nov. 18) at 5:00 p.m., followed by NYIT against Bridgeport at 7:30 p.m...the winners of the semifinal contests will move on to the final on Saturday (Nov. 19) at 5:00 p.m...the tournament winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. |
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| GAME INFORMATION |
| 1st Semifinal: No. 1 Daemen vs. Â No. 4 LIU Post |
| Date:Â Friday, November 18 |
Time:Â 5:00 p.m. |
Location:Â Lumsden Gymnasium - Amherst, N.Y. |
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| 2nd Semifinal: No. 3 Bridgeport vs. Â No. 2 NYIT |
| Date: Friday, November 18 |
Time:Â 7:30 p.m. |
Location:Â Lumsden Gymnasium - Amherst, N.Y. |
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| FInals: Winner of 1st Semifinal vs. Winner of 2nd Semifinal |
| Date:Â Saturday, November 19 |
Time:Â 5:00 p.m. |
Location:Â Lumsden Gymnasium - Amherst, N.Y. |
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| GAME LINKS |
| Tournament Homepage - includes full tournament info |
| Daemen Roster |
Daemen Schedule |
Daemen Stats |
| NYIT Roster |
NYIT Schedule |
NYITÂ Stats |
| Bridgeport Roster |
Bridgeport Schedule |
Bridgeport Stats |
| LIU Post Roster |
LIU Post Schedule |
LIU Post Stats |
| Live Stats (Semifinal No. 1) |
Live Video (Semfinal No. 1) |
| Live Stats (Semifinal No. 2) |
Live Video (Semifinal No. 2) |
| Live Stats (Final) |
Live Video (Final) |
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| SOCIAL MEDIA |
| Daemen Twitter:Â |
@DaemenAthletics, @DaemenWVB |
| Daemen Hashtags:Â |
#DCWildcatNation, #WNYsD2Team, #beFIERCE |
| NYIT Twitter:Â |
@NYITBears, @NYITVB |
| Bridgeport Twitter:Â |
@PKnights |
| LIU Post Twitter: |
@liupostpioneers |
| East Coast Conference Twitter: |
@ECCSports |
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| ON THE SIDELINES |
| Daemen:  Stephanie Albano enters her first season as the head women's volleyball coach at Daemen...she was promoted to the position after serving as the Associate Head Coach in 2015...a Western New York native, she led Lancaster High School to the 2004 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA championship...she went on to help the University of North-Carolina-Chapel Hill capture two Atlantic Coast Conference championships throughout her college career (2005-2009)...previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Buffalo in 2014...helped the Bulls to a 17-15 record and the program's first Mid-American Conference Tournament appearance since 2010...began her coaching debut at Canisius College as an assistant from 2009-10...later was the Associate Head Coach at Medaille from 2012-2014...helped the Mavericks earn their first ever AMCC championship and NCAA tournament appearance..assisted by 2014 Daemen graduate Kaley Regan and Don Gleason. |
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| DAEMEN SCOUTING REPORT (22-6, 13-1) |
| Daemen sits at 22-6 overall this, and 13-1 in the East Coast Conference heading into this weekend's tournament...Daemen's last loss was to defending East Region Champions NYIT on October 1...since dropping that match, the Wildcats have won 14 consecutive matches...the current win streak is the team's first double-figure streak since rattling off 15 straight during the 2013 season....currently, the streak is the seventh-longest in the country among NCAA Division II teams...nationally, Daemen ranks 22nd in team serivce aces (199) and 17th in aces per set (1.91) out of 292 Division II teams...the Wildcats' .216 hitting percentage is good for a 61st ranking, and defensively, they are allowing a mere .156 hitting percentage to their opponents which is also ranked 61st...for the second week in a row Daemen is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II East Region poll...Daemen secured its first postseason berth at the NCAA Division II level after defeating host LIU Post in an epic five-set battle Oct. 29...the Wildcats defeated four-time defending ECC Champion Bridgeport in straight sets on November 5th to clinch the No. 1 seed, and earn hosting privileges...Daemen then captured the outright regular season East Coast Conference Championship, defeating longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan on November 10...in the championship-clinching win at Roberts, sophomore outside hitter Ashley Drzymala paced the Wildcats with 14 kills and 12 digs...against Mercy, senior standout Amber Drzymala led the way, posting her 12th double-double of the season with 19 kills and 18 digs...with her final kill of the match, Amber reached 1,000 kills for her career, making her just the third player in team history to record both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs...the elder Drzymala was rewarded for her efforts, earning ECC Player of the Week honors for the second time this year...in the league, Amber ranks fifth in total kills (331) and tenth in total digs (312) making her one oof just three players to rank in the top 10 of both categories...Ashley leads the team and ranks second in the conference with 363 kills this season...she also ranks among the league's leaders in kills per set (3.46-third), total attacks (883-fifth), hitting percentage (.238-12th), service aces (47-second), service aces per set (.45-third) and digs (274-13th)...freshman Bailey Dolegowski has paced the Daemen offense all season, leading the ECC in total assists (972)...Dolegowski also sits third among all setters with 9.53 assists per set...the first-year setter has won four weekly ECC honors this season, a two-time Setter of the Week and two-time Rookie of the Week...additional offensive production  has come from Division I transfer Courtney Scanlan who has totaled 200 kills...In addition to the Drzymala's, it's been sophomore Kailey Ballou who has stepped up defensively, totaling 273 digs this season and posting 13 matches with at least 10 digs since Oct. 1...her sister, freshman Meghan Ballou has posted a team-high 42 blocks, and follows Scanlan in kills with 147...Cristina Apostol, freshman middle blocker, has added 37 blocks and 131 kills for the Wildcats. |
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| NYIT SCOUTING REPORT (26-5, 11-3) |
| Head coach Gail Wasmus is in her 31st year at the helm for the NYIT Bears...the 2015 ECC Coach of the year boasts a career coaching record of 597-400...the defending East Region Chamions have posted a 26-5 overall record and an 11-3 conference mark, securing the No. 2 seed in the ECC Tournament...NYIT captured the second place finish after defeating No. 3 Bridgeport, 3-1 on Nov. 10...the Bears also hold the No. 2 spot in the NCAA Division II East Regional Rankings behind top-ranked Daemen...the Bears are looking to seize their first conference title since 1990...NYIT and Daemen split their season series with each team winning at the other's home court...NYIT, who was picked as the favorite to win the ECC title, defeated Daemen in five sets on October 1...Tiffany Verni led the way with a team-high 18 kills, while Karolina Moderova, the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, had 17 kills and 18 digs...Reigning ECC Setter of the Year, Allison Fowler, dished out a match-high 50 assists in the victory...in the second meeting of the 2016 slate, NYIT fell to Daemen in straight sets...the Bears also split with both Bridgeport and LIU Post during regular season action...sophomore outside hitter Verni, leads the conference in both kills (425) and kills per set (3.70), while Moderova ranks third in kills (349) and fourth in kills per set (3.46) amonst all ECC players...Moderova, a member of the 1000 kill club, also sits second in the league in service aces per set with .46...up front, senior middle blocker Rachel Guida leads the East Coast Conference in blocks per set (1.18) and hitting percentage (.331)...defensively, Chessie Santermo's 460 digs and 4.34 digs per set stand third overall in the conference...Fowler has paced all offensive efforts this season, posting 955 assists thus far, good for second place in the league in assists per set with 9.85. |
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| DAEMEN VS. NYIT: THE HISTORY |
| ALL-TIME: NYIT leads the series 6-3 |
| Previous Meetings: |
| October 30, 2016 - Daemen 3, NYIT 0 |
(@ NYIT) |
GAME RECAP |
| October 1, 2016 - NYIT 3, Daemen 2 |
(@ Daemen) |
GAME RECAP |
| October 9, 2015 - NYIT 3, Daemen 1 |
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GAME RECAP |
| November 7, 2015 - NYIT 3, Daemen 2 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 11, 2014 - NYIT 3, Daemen 0 |
(@ Daemen) |
GAME RECAP |
| November 7, 2014 - NYIT 3, Daemen 1 |
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GAME RECAP |
| September 28, 2013 - NYIT 3, Daemen 0 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 26, 2013 Â - Daemen 3, NYIT 0 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 27, 2012 - Daemen 3, NYIT 1 |
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GAME RECAP |
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| BRIDGEPORT SCOUTING REPORT (14-12, 10-4) |
| Gary Mullin is in his third season as the head coach at Bridgeport, leading the Purple Knights to back-to-back ECC titles in his first two seasons...Bridgeport wrapped up the  2016 regular season with a 14-12 overall record,  and 10-4 ECC mark, good for the No. 3 seed...the Purple Knights earned their 14th consecutive tournament appearance this season...UB lost their season finale to NYIT in four sets on Nov. 10, resulting in NYIT securing the No. 2 position and UB finishing third in the league...the Purple Knights will face off against the Bears on Friday night, a rematch of last season's conference and NCAA East Region Championship games...Bridgeport won the first regular season match-up with NYIT in a dramatic five-set battle...senior Sarah Cruz led the UB offense with 18 kills and 15 digs...Ellie Rich, a sophomore setter, registered a double-double, notching 48 assists and 17 digs...senior libero Amelie Guinci recorded a match-high 32 digs...against the other two tournament teams, Bridgeport swept LIU Post in the regular season and fell both times to Daemen...Guinci holds the top spot in the ECC in both digs (496) and digs per set (5.39)...Rich, this week's ECC Setter of the Week, ranks first in the conference in assists per set with 9.92...she is a three-time winner of this weekly award...junior outside/right-side hitter Bruna Santos, ranks fourth in the league in service aces per set (.44), she has totaled 36 service aces this season...middle blocker Sheri Middleton ranks second in the ECC in hitting percentage (.328) and third in blocks per set (.97)...the junior leads Bridgeport in total blocks with 67, and has added 182 total kills...leading the Purple Knights offense is Cruz and Frida Randen, the senior veterans have registered 266 and 191 kills this season. |
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| DAEMEN VS. BRIDGEPORT: THE HISTORY |
| ALL-TIME: Bridgeport leads the series 6-2 |
| Previous Meetings: |
| November 5, 2016 - Daemen 3, Bridgeport 0 |
(@ Daemen) |
GAME RECAP |
| October 9, 2016 - Daemen 3, Bridgeport 1 |
(@ Bridgeport) |
GAME RECAP |
| October 17, 2015 - Bridgeport 3, Daemen 0 |
(@ Daemen) |
GAME RECAP |
| November 12, 2015 - Bridgeport 3, Daemen 0 |
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GAME RECAP |
| September 20, 2014 - Bridgeport 3, Daemen 0 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 17, 2014 - Bridgeport 3, Daemen 0 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 5, 2013 - Bridgeport 3, Daemen 2 |
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GAME RECAP |
| November 17, 2013 - Bridgeport, Daemen 1 |
(@ Bridgeport) |
GAME RECAP |
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| LIU POST SCOUTING REPORT (15-12, 8-6) |
| LIU Post is coached by first-year bench boss Amanda Ostapow, the 13th head coach in team history...after opening the season with just three wins in their first 13 outings this year, the Pioneers rallied with a 12-2 mark after Oct. 6 to finish the 2016 regular season at 15-12 overall and 8-6 in the conference, earning the No. 4 seed in this weekend's tournament...the Wildcats defeated the Pioneers in both meetings this season...in the most recent matchup, the two teams battled to an epic five-set contest...Danielle Valenza had a match-high 22 kills and a team-high 13 digs to lead the Pioneers, while Giulia Genna dished out 30 helpers and Indira Rojas tallied 13 digs in the loss...Against NYIT and Bridgeport, LIU posted a combined 1-3 mark in 2016, sweeping NYIT in straight sets on Nov. 1 while dropping the other three contests...first-year setter Kassie Akouri-Tejedor was named the latest ECC Rookie of the Week, aftering posting a season-high 47 assists in a 3-1 win over Molloy...her 292 helpers this season ranks ninth in the league, placing her third among all rookie setters in the conference...Valenza ranks fourth in kills (334) and fifth in kills per set (3.27) in the ECC...the junior outside/right-side hitter surpassed 1,000 kills for her career earlier this year...Rachel Londot and Abby Eckhard pace the defense with 318 and 265 digs respectively...Londot ranks ninth in the ECC...veteran Taryn McCullouch's 1.15 blocks per set is good for a second place in the league, and she has a team-high 117 total blocks...at the setting position, Genna has dished out 690 assists to guide the LIU Post offense. |
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| DAEMEN VS. LIU POST: THE HISTORY |
| ALL-TIME: Â The series is tied 4-4 |
| Previous Meetings: |
| October 29, 2016 - Daemen 3, LIU Post 2 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 2, 2016Â - Daemen 3, LIU Post 0 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 10, 2015 - Daemen 3, LIU Post 2 |
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GAME RECAP |
| November 8, 2015 - LIU Post 3, Daemen 2 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 12, 2014 - LIU Post 3, Daemen 0 |
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GAME RECAP |
| November 8, 2014 - LIU Post 3, Daemen 1 |
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GAME RECAP |
| September 27, 2013 - LIU Post 3, Daemen 1 |
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GAME RECAP |
| October 25, 2013 - Daemen 3, LIU Post 1 |
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GAME RECAP |
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| WILDCATS REMAIN NO. 1 IN REGIONAL RANKINGS |
| For the second week in a row the Wildcats hold the No. 1 spot in the NCAA Division II East Region poll...this week's poll, released on Wednesday, Nov. 16 s the third and final regional ranking for the 2016 season...the East Region is comprised of NCAA Division II teams from the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10, and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference...after ranking No. 2 in the first poll, Daemen ousted ECC foe NYIT, last week ascending to the top spot. |
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| DRZYMALAÂ MAKES HISTORY |
| Senior Amber Drzymala became just the third player in Daemen women's volleyball history to notch 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career...she recorded her 1,000th kill in the regular season finale last Sunday against visiting Mercy College...her 19 kills were good for a match-high, leading Daemen to a 3-1 victory...the 5-foot-9 outside hitter surpassed 1,000 digs earlier this season against longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan...Amber joins Tristian Seibert (2000-03) and Joanna Fretthold (2009-12) to go down as one of the all-time greatest players In Daemen women's volleyball history. |
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| ON THE HORIZON |
| The champion of the East Coast Conference Tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament...if Daemen does not win the tournament championship this weekend, the Wildcats stand a good chance of receiving one of the five at-large bids available to East Region teams thanks to their No. 1 ranking in the region...the full NCAA Tournament field will be revealed with a live Selection Show on NCAA.com next Monday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m....Daemen will hold a watch party for the NCAA Tournament Selection Show beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday at The Den, a new campus eatery located inside the Charles J. Wick Campus Center...the watch party is open to the entire campus community and friends of Daemen Athletics. |
