Women's Volleyball 9/15/2017 1:00:00 PM Lea Sobieraski, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Women's Volleyball Faces Tough Tests In Albany This weekend

GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (1-7, 0-0 ECC) vs. Adelphi Panthers (3-6, 0-0 NE-10)
Saturday, September 16 | 1:00 p.m.
Albany, N.Y. | Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium

Daemen Wildcats (1-7, 0-0 ECC) vs. Saint Rose Golden Knights (6-4, 0-0 NE-10)
Saturday, September 16 | 3:00 p.m.
Albany, N.Y. | Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium

GAME LINKS
Live Stats (Both Matches)

ALBANO BACK IN ACTION
Stephanie Albano enters her second season as the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at Daemen in 2017. She was promoted to the position after serving as the Associate Head Coach in 2015. In her first season at the helm, Albano led the program to a 25-8 overall record and 13-1 mark in ECC play. She guided the Wildcats to the program's first ECC regular season championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Albano was named the 2016 East Coast Conference Coach of the year and the 2016 NCAA Division II East Region Coach of the Year last season. She was also selected as one of the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) 30 Under 30 award recipients in the spring of 2017.

WILDCATS PICKED 2ND IN ECC PRESEASON POLL
Following a vote of the league's head coaches, Daemen has been picked to finish 2nd in the East Coast Conference this season after capturing the league's regular season championship in 2016.

HOW SWEET IT WAS
After finishing as the ECC tournament runner-ups, the Wildcats earned the program's first ever-NCAA Tournament berth as the No. 2 seed in the East Regional portion of the tournament which was hosted at Daemen's Lumsden gymnasium. Daemen captured their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, defeating Post University in a five-set thriller. The next day the Wildcats advanced to the sweet 16 after defeating third-seeded University of New Haven with a 3-0 victory. But, their historic 2016 camp to an end in the regional finals, falling 3-2 to fourth-seeded American International College.

RETURNING WILDCATS
The Wildcats return eight players from last year's historic 25-8 squad. Redshirt junior Courtney Scanlan returns as a force on the oustide after registering 226 kills in her debut season as a Wildcat. Scanlan registered nine double-digit kill performances last year. Daemen also welcomes back Meghan Ballou and Cristina Apostol, the pair finished first and second on the team in total blocks respectively. Meghan Ballou, a sophomore outside hitter, finished her freshman campaign with 178 kills and 48 blocks. Apostol, a sophomore middle blocker, concluded her rookie season with 185 kills and 43 blocks. Offensive threat Courtney Bernard is back on the season in 2017, the junior middle blocker recorded 153 kills and 41 blocks in just 19 matches. Senior leader Katie McKrell and sophomore Sydney MacInnis return as the top floor generals at the setting position for the Wildcats. Lastly, Daemen's defensive efforts will be led by junior Kailey Ballou and sophomore Jess Kranz, in 2016 the duo registered 318 and 209 dig respectively.

FRESH FACES
Daemen welcomes six true freshmen to the 2017 squad, including players from five different states. Ali Greenwood, a defensive specialist, comes to Daemen from the Greater Chicago area where she was a two-year starter for the west Aurora Blackhawks, helping them to an Upstate 8 Conference championship in 2015. Fellow defensive specialist Georgia Wicker hails from northern Illinois where she earned four varsity letters for the Woodstock Blue Streaks. She ended her scholastic career with a school record 1,857 digs. Outside hitter Abby Francis comes from Royal Oak, Michigan and brings an ability to play both the front and back rows. Jennifer Heritz, a 6-foot middle-blocker comes to Daemen from The Hoosier State, where she starred for the Penn Kingsmen and helped her team win two sectional championships. Allison Post, another 6-footer, traveled from Windsor, California to join the Wildcat squad. The outside hitter was a two-time All-North Bay league first-team selection in her four year career. Rounding out the rookie class is local athlete Tirzah Peters who comes to Daemen after an impressive athletic career just a short drive away at Sweet Home High School. The 6-foot middle blocker earned six varsity letters on the volleyball court for the Panthers.

ALL-TOURNEY APOSTOL
Sophomore Cristina Apostol was selected to the Cal Vulcan Invitational All-Tournament Team for her performance over the weekend of September 8-9. The 6-foot-2 middle blocker posted 45 kills, ten blocks, ten digs and six service aces in the event hosted by California University (Pa.).

FIVE SETS ON THE WILDCATS

Daemen plays its fourth consecutive match against a team that qualified for the 2016 NCAA Tournament
Daemen ranks in the top four categories of assists, kills, total blocks and digs among all East Coast Conference teams thus far
In 9 matches Daemen has posted 16.3 digs per set, compared to their opponent's 14.7 digs per set
Sophomore Meghan Ballou leads the Wildcats with 87 total kills through eight matches, and shes averaging 2.90 kills per set
Defensively, freshmen Ali Greenwood and Georgia Wicker have made an immediate impact, averaging 3.37 and 3.17 digs per set respectively

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen concluded their eight-game road stint on Tuesday, dropping a non-conference match to host Gannon University. The Wildcats were swept in three sets by the reigning PSAC Champions by scores of 18-25, 18-25 and 9-25. With the loss, Daemen dropped to 1-7 on the season thus far. Gannon ousted Daemen in every statistical category except digs, the Wildcats recorded 51 total digs while the Golden Knights tallied 50. Freshmen duo Georgia Wicker and Ali Greenwood continued to lead the Daemen defense. Greenwood recorded a game-high 17 digs, while Wicker added 11 in the loss. Offensively, Daemen had a balanced attack, with Meghan Ballou, Courtney Scanlan and Jenn Heritz all nailing down seven kills apiece. Respectively, the three Wildcats rank first (87), second (80) and third (60) in total kills thus far. Katie McKrell, the sole senior on the squad, has dished out 241 helpers in eight games.

ADELPHI SCOUTING REPORT
Daemen opens its involvement in the tri-match by facing Adelphi University out of the Northeast-10 Conference. The Panthers were voted to finish fourth in the NE-10 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll released prior to the start of the 2017 season. Adelphi is coming off a 20-13 season in 2016, which included a 10^th straight NCAA tournament appearance after making it to the NE-10 finals. Danielle MacKnight enters her 11^th season as the head coach in 2017, she welcomed back eight returners and added seven newcomers. The Panthers have gone 3-6 thus far, with wins coming against Holy Family University, Chestnut Hill College and the University of Bridgeport. In the Panther's victory over Bridgeport, another member of the East Coast Conference, four different players reached double-figure marks in kills (McKenna Clawson, Cara Mackenzie, Victoria Cast and Leilani Vasquez). Defensively, Katarina Warburton led Adelphi with 17 digs while Katie Barry notched 48 assists. Clawson ranks first on the squad in total kills with 70, while Wartburton leads the team with 172 digs and Barry has dished out a team-high 122 helpers thus far.

SAINT ROSE SCOUTING REPORT
The second game of the tri-match pits Daemen against the host Saint Rose out of the Northeast-10 Conference. The Golden Knights were voted to finish 12^th in the 2017 NE-10 Conference coaches' preseason poll, which was announced prior to the season. SRU is coming off an 11-15 mark in 2016, and return eight players from last year's squad with the addition of five freshmen. Saint Rose has opened 2017 with six wins in their first ten matches. The Lady Knights were recently swept in straight-sets by Molloy, another affiliate of the East Coast Conference. In the loss, junior Shayna Webber registered 6 kills, while sophomore Tina Ceriello recorded nine digs and junior Sam Kubik dished out 15 assists. Sophomore Stevie Schweitzer leads the team in kills (93) and service aces (14), and ranks second in digs (102). Kubik has stepped into the key setting position this season after finishing second on the team in 2016 with 355 assists. She has already recorded 300 assists in 2017, good for 8.11 assists per set. Ciriello has led the Saint Rose defense thus far with 152 total digs.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Adelphi:
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Adelphi 0 | September 22, 2012 | Worcester, Mass.

Daemen vs. Saint Rose: 2-0
Streak: W-2
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Saint Rose 2 | September 10, 2016 | Amherst, N.Y.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats finally make their 2017 home debut on Tuesday (9/19) when they host Le Moyne College in a non-conference tilt set to begin at 7:00 p.m. Daemen then opens East Coast Conference play on Friday (9/22) as they take on Mercy College at Lumdsen Gymnasium, followed by another home matchup versus The University of Bridgeport on Saturday (9/23)

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Players Mentioned

#15 Cristina Apostol: MB; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#1 Kailey Ballou: L; 5' 7"; Junior

#2 Meghan Ballou: OH; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#9 Courtney Bernard: MB/RS; 6' 0"; Junior

#4 Jess Kranz: DS; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#8 Sydney MacInnis: S; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#11 Katie McKrell: S; 5' 8"; Senior

#7 Courtney Scanlan: OH; 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior

#3 Ali Greenwood: DS; 5' 6"; Freshman

#5 Jenn Heritz: MH; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#15 Cristina Apostol
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: MB

#1 Kailey Ballou
: 5' 7"; Junior
: L

#2 Meghan Ballou
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: OH

#9 Courtney Bernard
: 6' 0"; Junior
: MB/RS

#4 Jess Kranz
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: DS

#8 Sydney MacInnis
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: S

#11 Katie McKrell
: 5' 8"; Senior
: S

#7 Courtney Scanlan
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior
: OH

#3 Ali Greenwood
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: DS

#5 Jenn Heritz
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: MH