Women's Volleyball 9/21/2017 1:00:00 PM Lea Sobieraski, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Women's Volleyball Set To Defend ECC Regular Season Championship

Daemen begins East Coast Conference action this weekend by hosting Mercy and Bridgeport

GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (3-8, 0-0 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (3-7, 0-0 ECC)
Friday, September 22 | 6:00 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium

Daemen Wildcats (1-7, 0-0 ECC) vs. Bridgeport Purple Knights (3-7, 0-0 ECC)
Saturday, September 23 | 1:00 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium

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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.).

DEFENSIVE DUO
Freshmen Ali Greenwood and Georgia Wicker have made an immediate impact on the Wildcats, ranking first and second on the team in digs. Greenwood, a 5-foot-6 defensive specialist, has registered 148 total digs and is averaging 3.61 digs per set. Wicker, a 5-foot-3 defensive specialist, has recorded 128 digs and is averaging 3.12 digs per set. The pair has accounted for 276 of the team's 605 total digs, Greenwood has registered double-figure digs in 9 of the 11 possible games.

MCKRELL NEARS MILESTONE
Senior Katie McKrell has registered 325 assists in 11 matches, bringing her career total to 1,983. The 5-foot-8 Rochester native remains just 41 shy of reaching 2,000 career assists. In her first two season as a Wildcat, McKrell dished out 1,637 helpers. With 1,983 assists, she currently ranks 5th in program history for career total assists. McKrell is en route to becoming only the fifth Wildcat to reach the 2,000 mark.

CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Freshman Jenn Heritz was awarded the East Coast Conference Women's Volleyball Rookie of the week for the competitions held September 11-17. The 6-foot middle hitter helped the Wildcats go 2-1, falling 3-0 at Gannon (Sept. 12) followed by a thrilling five-set win over Adelphi (Sept. 16) and a straight-set sweep over Saint Rose (Sept. 16). For the week, she registered 29 ills on a .354 attack percentage and added seven blocks.

FIVE SETS ON THE WILDCATS

Daemen has registered 69 service aces thus far, almost 20 more than their opponents total of 50. Courtney Scanlan leads the squad with 14 on the season.
Daemen ranks in the top four in the categories of assists, kills, service aces and digs among all East Coast Conference teams thus far
In 11 matches Daemen has posted 15.9 digs per set, compared to their opponent's 14.4 digs per set
Sophomore Meghan Ballou leads the Wildcats with 122 total kills through ten matches, and shes averaging 2.98 kills per set.
Senior setter Katie McKrell ranks fifth in the East Coast Conference in assists per set with 7.93

LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats made their 2017 home debut on Tuesday, September 19, playing host to NE-10 affiliate Le Moyne College. Daemen fell in straight sets to their regional rival (19-25, 14-25, 22-25) in non-conference action at Lumsden Gymnasium. Jenn Heritz continued to guide the Wildcat offense, hammering down ten kills for a .318 hitting percentage. Sophomore Courtney Scanlan and freshman Allison Post rounded out the Daemen offense with eight and five kills respectively. Katie McKrell inched closer to reaching the 2,000 career assist milestone, dishing out 24 helpers in the win. Daemen's defense was once again led by rookie libero Ali Greenwood. Greenwood posted the only double-figure dig performance on the Daemen squad with 13. Classmate Georgia Wicker registered seven, while Meghan Ballou chipped in with five. Le Moyne recorded a .323 attack percentage, nailing down 41 kills and only committing nine errors. The Wildcats recorded a .115 hitting percentage, registering 31 kills with 21 errors. The Dolphins ousted Daemen in every statistical category except blocks.

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT
Daemen's first East Coast Conference battle of the 2017 season comes against the Mercy Mavericks. Mercy was picked eighth in the ECC preseason poll, and the Mavericks are coming off a 4-20 (2-12 ECC) campaign in 2016. Head coach Georgia Efthalitsides entered her second season in 2017, bringing in six newcomers and returning six. Key returners for the Mavs are seniors Sa'Naya Johnson, Danielle Sarasky along with juniors Leah Petty and Brooke Runge. Runge led the team with 570 assists in 2016 and was second on the squad with 21 service aces. Mercy owns a 3-7 record thus far in 2017, and enter the game against the Wildcats on a two-game winning streak. Their three victories have come against Georgian Court, Felician and Cheyney. Offensively, the Mavericks have been led by freshman outside hitter Courtney Gebhardt. Gebhardt has registered 109 total kills and ranks fourth in the league in kills per set with 3.21. Runge has continued to lead Mercy as the key setter, posting 224 assists thus far. Junior libero Neysha Gonzalez ranks first on the team in digs (140) and sits fifth in the ECC in digs per set (4.00).

BRIDGEPORT SCOUTING REPORT
Daemen wraps up the week and their three-game homestand against longstanding ECC powerhouse Bridgeport. The Purple Knights saw their streak of four-straight ECC championships snapped in 2016, but still fared well with a 14-13 overall record, and a 10-4 mark in league play. Head Coach Gary Mullins began his fourth season at the helm in 2017, his Purple Knights were tabbed third in the ECC preseason poll announced prior to the start of the season. This year's squad features six newcomers alongside eight returners. The Purple Knights have gone 3-7 to open up the 2017 campaign, earning wins against Georgian Court, Franklin Pierce and Saint Rose. Senior Bruna Santos and sophomore Amanda Hennemann rank first and second on the team in kills. The pair has recorded 94 and 88 kills respectively. Guiding the Bridgeport attack is junior setter Ellie Rich with 263 assists and ranks third in the conference in assists per set (8.63). Defensively, the duo of Olivia Storaci and Hennemann have racked up 233 of the team's 503 digs. Storaci has registered 118, while Hennemann has tallied 115. Bridgeport face off against Roberts Wesleyan in their conference opener on Friday, before squaring off against the Wildcats.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Mercy: 5-2
Streak: W-5
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Mercy 1 | November 13, 2016 | Amherst, N.Y.

Daemen vs. Bridgeport: 2-6
Streak: W-2
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Bridgeport 0 | November 5, 2016 | Amherst, N.Y.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats travel to long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday, September 27 for another East Coast Conference show down, the match is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.

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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