Women's Volleyball 9/29/2017 1:00:00 PM Lea Sobieraski, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Wildcats Set To Battle Pace In Non-Conference Action Saturday

GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (6-8, 3-0 ECC) vs. Pace Setters (4-9, 1-4 NE-10)
Saturday, September 30 | 1:00 p.m.
Rochester, N.Y. | Voller Athletic Center

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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. Wicker, a 5-foot-3 defensive specialist, has recorded 178 digs and is averaging 3.42 digs per set. Greenwood, a 5-foot-6 defensive specialist, has registered 148 total digs and is averaging 3.61 digs per set. The pair has accounted for 326 of the team's 816 total digs.

MCKRELL SURPASSES 2,000 CAREER ASSISTS
Senior Katie McKrell became only the 5th player in team history to surpass 2,000 career assists in Daemen's straight-set sweep over Mercy College on September 22. The veteran setter needed 17 assists heading into the match and tallied a match-high 24 to join an elite group of athletes, including assistant coach Kaley Regan. With 2,058 assists to date, she ranks 5th in program history for career total assists.

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.

GOING STREAKING
Daemen has won 14-straight East Coast Conference regular season matches dating back to last season. The Wildcats are the defending ECC regular season champion after winning their final 11 regular season league contests in 2016 to finish with a 13-1 mark and have started the 2017 season with an unblemished 3-0 conference record. Daemen's last regular season league loss was October 1, 2016 against the visiting NYIT Bears.

FIVE SETS ON THE WILDCATS

In 14 matches Daemen has posted 15.7 digs per set, compared to their opponent's 14.2 digs per set
Daemen ranks in the top four in the categories of assists, kills, blocks, service aces and digs among all East Coast Conference teams thus far
Redshirt Junior Courtney Scanlan ranks fifth in the ECC in service aces per set with .46
Sophomore Meghan Ballou leads the Wildcats with 157 total kills and 3.02 kills per set, which ranks sixth and seventh among the ECC leaders in those respective statistical categories
Senior setter Katie McKrell ranks fifth in the East Coast Conference in assists per set with 8.33

LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats are coming off a straight-set victory against longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan (25-18, 25-19, 25-19), their third-straight win on the season and 14th consecutive ECC regular season victory. Courtney Scanlan and sophomore Cristina Apostol and Meghan Ballou combined for 26 of Daemen's 37 kills to lead the way. Scanlan and Apostol shared match-high honors with nine kills apiece. Sydney MacInnis was the lone setter for the Wildcats. She posted a season-high 28 assists, good for her third double-figure performance in the last five matches. Ballou led the Wildcat defense with 11 digs, while Georgia Wicker added seven. Ballou registered her eighth double-figure effort of the season. Jenn Heritz controlled the net with five blocks.

PACE SCOUTING REPORT
Daemen returns to the Voller Athletic Center for the second time this week to face Northeast-10 Conference affiliate Pace in a neutral site contest. Pace was picked fifth in the NE-10 preseason poll, and the Setters are coming off a 23-9 campaign in 2016, including an appearance in the NE-10 Tournament semifinals. Karrin Moore, who tallied her 100th career victory last season, entered her eighth year as the Pace volleyball head coach in 2017. Pace added five freshman alongside 11 returners to this year's squad. The Setters have gone 4-9 overall with a 1-2 conference mark thus far. Junior Claudia Fontanet, a 2016 NE-10 First Team selection, has led the Pace offense with 105 kills so far. Samantha Nidini has dished out 285 total assists for the Setters, while Danielle Vaiano has registered 191 digs to lead the defense.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Pace 0 | September 22, 2013 | Springfield, Ma.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats take a week hiatus before traveling to Long Island for East Coast Conference action next weekend (Oct. 7-8). Daemen faces off againt NYIT on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. and takes on LIU Post Sunday at 12:00 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