Women's Volleyball 10/4/2018 10:00:00 AM By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

ECC Unbeaten Wildcats Host Bridgeport & Mercy This Weekend

GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #20
Daemen Wildcats (11-8, 5-0 ECC) vs. Bridgeport Purple Knights (10-5, 4-1 ECC)
Friday, Oct. 5 | 6 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium

LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO

Game #21
Daemen Wildcats (11-8, 5-0 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (5-12, 2-3 ECC)
Saturday, Oct. 6 | 1 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium

LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO

THE SERVE
Daemen returns to Lumsden Gymnasium where they'll put their unblemished East Coast Conference record (5-0) on the line when hosting Bridgeport and Mercy. The Wildcats have won nine of their last 11 matches, and are one of just two teams in the region to be unbeaten in conference play at this juncture of the season. Friday's matchup with Bridgeport is a battle between first and second place teams in the ECC standings. Saturday's match vs. Mercy marks the conclusion of the first round of ECC games.

SUPER STEPH
Stephanie Albano enters her third season as Daemen's head coach in 2018. She was promoted to the position in 2016 after serving one season as the team's associate head coach. In her first two seasons at the helm, Albano led the program to a 36-24 overall record and a 20-8 mark in ECC play. In 2016, she was named the East Coast Conference and NCAA Division II East Region Coach of the Year after leading Daemen to the ECC regular season championship. That season also saw Daemen host both the ECC and NCAA Division II East Regional tournaments with the Wildcats advancing to the finals of each. Albano was also selected as one of the American Volleyball Coaches Association 30 Under 30 award recipients in the spring of 2017.

BALANCED ATTACK
The Wildcats have put together arguably the most balanced offensive attack among all ECC teams so far this season. Six players are presently averaging better than 2.0 kills per set - Meghan Ballou (2.84), Tirzah Peters (2.77), Jenn Heritz (2.76), Allison Post (2.53), Cristina Apostol (2.51) and Sam Logan (2.32). Five of the six players rank in the top 15 in the league, while Ballou Peters and Heritz also rank in the top 10. Only defending ECC champion Molloy boasts as many as four players averaging better than 2.0 kills per set, and no other ECC team has more than three. As a team, Daemen leads the league and ranks 46th nationally by averaging 13.42 kills per set.

THRUWAY RIVALRY
Daemen's 3-1 win over longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan on Sept. 12 ran their winning streak in the all-time series to seven straight. Tirzah Peters led a balanced offensive attack with 14 kills, while Cristina Apostol (13 kills), Sam Logan (12 kills) and Meghan Ballou (12 kills) also contributed. Freshman setter Isa McCaffrey recorded a career-best 55 assists. The win also got Daemen off to a 1-0 start in ECC play for the fourth consecutive season.

BALLING BALLOU
Junior middle/outside hitter Meghan Ballou had her most productive week of the season from Sept. 10-16, averaging a team-best 3.58 kills per set over three matches which earned her ECC Player of the Week honors. Ballou, a second team All-ECC selection last season, opened the week with 12 kills on 28 attempts in a win over Roberts Wesleyan, and she followed up with a season-high 17 kills in a five-set loss to Urbana, two shy of her career-best effort. She ended the week with 14 kills in a win over Franklin Pierce. The production came at a critical time as the Wildcats cope with the loss of Jenn Heritz who has been out with an injury. Ballou has reached double figure kills in seven of the last eight matches, averaging 3.52 kills per set on a .230 hitting percentage in that span. For the season, Ballou ranks among the league leaders in total kills (173 - 4th), total attacks (477 - 4th) and kills per set (2.84 - 7th).

UPPER TIRZAH
Sophomore middle hitter Tirzah Peters has made an early case to be considered the ECC's most improved player this season. After being slowed by injuries as a freshman, resulting in just 16 matches played, Peters has been a consistent force in 2018. She presently ranks among the league leaders in total kills (172 - 5th) and kills per set (2.77 - 8th). Her .303 hitting percentage leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference. Peters has reached double figure kills in nine matches this season, including a career-high 15 in a win over defending Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference champion Caldwell on Sept. 9. She was named the ECC Player of the Week for Sept. 3-9 after averaging 3.73 kills per set on a .577 hitting percentage over four matches. She was the first Daemen player to earn ECC Player of the Week honors since Amber Drzymala did so in the final week of the 2016 regular season.

ISA'S IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Setter Isa McCaffrey has made an immediate impact in her freshman season. The 5-foot-8 Ohio native has racked up 716 assists, a total which presently leads the ECC and ranks 19th nationally. McCaffrey (10.85 assists/set) and Molloy's Sophia Smith (10.42) are the only players in the league to be averaging better than 10.0 assists per set, and McCaffrey ranks 25th nationally in that category. The last Daemen player to average better than 10.0 assists per set for an entire season was Kristie Martzolf (11.99) in 2004. McCaffrey has garnered honors from the ECC in the last five successive weeks. She was named the ECC Rookie of the Week for Aug. 27-Sept. 2 after also being named to the All-Tournament Team at the Hall of Fame City Challenge. She was later named the ECC Setter of the Week for Sept. 3-9, Sept. 10-16, Sept. 17-23 and Sept. 24-30.

BERNARD BATTLES BACK
After missing the entire 2017 season with an injury that threatened to end her career, redshirt junior Courtney Bernard has battled her way back into the lineup in 2018. Bernard, who hit .343 and averaged 2.32 kills per set in 2016, has appeared in 18 of the team's 19 matches while making nine starts so far this season. She's hitting .272 and contributing 1.68 kills per set.

GET DEFENSIVE
A trio of experienced defensive specialists have played an important role for the Wildcats this season. Kailey Ballou, Ali Greenwood and Georgia Wicker lead a Wildcat defense that presently ranks fourth in the ECC by averaging 16.70 digs per set. Ballou, the team's lone senior, is closing in on reaching 900 digs for her career (866 presently). Both Greenwood and Wicker have spent time as the Wildcats' primary libero. Greenwood leads the team and ranks fifth in the league with her 4.15 digs-per-set average, while Wicker is contributing 2.83 digs per set.

POSTING UP
Sophomore outside hitter Allison Post has really come on of late and is playing the best volleyball of her career to date. Over the last five matches, Post has recorded her first matches with double figure kills (10 vs. LIU Post on Sept. 22) and double figure digs (11 vs. New Haven on Sept. 23), as well as her first double-double (13 kills, 15 digs vs. Molloy on Sept. 29). The California native established new career-highs in both kills and digs in the win over defending ECC champion Molloy. In this recent stretch, Post is averaging 2.69 kills and 2.94 digs per set, while attacking at a .197 clip.

BRIDGEPORT SCOUTING REPORT
Bridgeport is led by head coach Gary Mullin who is in his fifth season at the helm. He has led the program to an 89-46 record to date. The Purple Knights were picked fourth in the ECC preseason poll, and they return nine players from their 2017 team that went 12-16 overall and 8-6 in league play. Senior setter Ellie Rich (9.42 assists/set in 2017) and sophomore defensive specialist Olivia Storaci (3.95 digs/set in 2017) headline the team's returners. The Purple Knights have opened the season with 10 wins in their first 15 contests, including a perfect 7-0 record at home. They've won eight of their last 10 matches, and their only setback of the conference season thus far was a 3-1 loss to NYIT last Friday. Freshman middle blocker Amanda Keller has made an immediate impact as she leads the league in hitting percentage (.351) while also ranking second in blocks per set (0.89). Junior outside hitter Galia Nankin, a transfer from Rutgers, has also been impressive thus far, averaging 2.09 kills per set. Juniors Emily Burford and Morgan Knight lead the team by averaging 2.56 and 2.54 kills per set respectively. Rich is still running the offense, and she ranks third in the league in assists per set (8.66). Sophomore Klein Johnson has paced the UB defense, averaging 4.54 digs per set which ranks third in the ECC.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. BRIDGEPORT
Series Record: 3-7
Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: Bridgeport 3, Daemen 0 | Oct. 21, 2017 | Bridgeport, Conn.

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT
Mercy is led by third-year head coach Georga Efthalitsides. The Mercy alumnus has led the Mavericks to a 16-57 record in her tenure to date. The Mavericks, who return eight players from their 2017 team, were picked seventh in the ECC preseason poll after going 7-25 overall and 1-13 in league play last season. The Mavericks head into the weekend having won three of their last six matches, including ECC victories over Queens and NYIT. Mercy plays at Roberts Wesleyan on Friday night before heading to Daemen for Saturday's matinee. Sophomore outside hitter Leilani Vasquez, a transfer from Adelphi, has paced the Mercy offense thus far, averaging 2.96 kills per set which ranks sixth in the conference. Senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Partridge has also produced (2.28 kills/set, .309 hitting percentage). Senior setter Brooke Runge is averaging 8.19 assists per set, fourth-best in the league. Defensively, the Mavericks have been led by Neysha Gonzalez who ranks fourth in the league with her 4.16 digs-per-set average.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: 8-2
Streak: Won 6
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Mercy 0 | Oct. 22, 2017 | Valhalla, N.Y.

DID YOU KNOW?
* Daemen is 5-0 in East Coast Conference play for the third time since joining the league in 2013. The team's previous best start to league play came in 2015 and 2017 when they started 3-0.
* Daemen is 52-27 in all regional matches since the start of the 2016 season; that includes a 25-8 mark in East Coast Conference matches.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen plays its final non-conference match of the season Tuesday when visiting regional rival Le Moyne.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Amber Drzymala: OH; 5' 9"; Senior

#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

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

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

#10 Georgia Wicker: DS; 5' 3"; Freshman

#14 Allison Post: OH; 6' 0"; Freshman

#16 Tirzah Peters: MH; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#13 Amber Drzymala
: 5' 9"; Senior
: OH

#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

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

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

#10 Georgia Wicker
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: DS

#14 Allison Post
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: OH

#16 Tirzah Peters
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: MH