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Gleason Announces First-Ever Recruiting Commitments For Daemen Men's Volleyball

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications
Puerto Rico's Randy Perez is among seven signees in the inaugural recruiting class for the Daemen men's volleyball team

Men's Volleyball | 4/16/2018 3:29:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's volleyball program, announced last May as the 17th intercollegiate team sponsored by the college, officially has its first seven recruiting commitments, head coach Don Gleason announced today. New York natives Jesse Donorovich (Lockport, N.Y. / Lockport), Kyle Kon (Oswego, N.Y. / Oswego) and Jaden Gillette (Spencerport, N.Y. / Spencerport) join out-of-state products Ryan Beck (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny), Michael Krueger (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canonsburg), Jahari Winkfield (Oswego, Ill. / Oswego East) and Randy Perez (San Juan, P.R. / Colegio Adianez) in becoming the program's first committed student-athletes.

"I am very excited about our first recruiting class for the Daemen College men's volleyball program," said Gleason. "There is no doubt that they can all play at a high level, but more importantly, they connected with the vision we've established for this program. Building a championship culture from the ground up will truly be a team effort, and I believe these young men have the maturity and drive to do so."

The 6-foot-5 Donorovich is Gleason's first building block in the middle. He comes to Daemen after earning All-Western New York honors after his junior and senior seasons, including a first team selection this past fall. A two-time first team All-Niagara Frontier League selection, Donorovich led the Lockport Lions and coach Elizabeth Smorol to back-to-back undefeated seasons in the NFL, as well as a Section VI Class AA title this past fall. 

"Jesse will bring a great deal of versatility to the team," said Gleason. "His ability to play all three hitting positions will definitely help our squad."

A 6-foot-2 outside/right side hitter, Kon comes to Daemen from the successful program at Oswego High School. While there, Kon earned four varsity letters for the Buccaneers and coach Eric McCrobie while leading the team to four straight appearances in the New York State Division II finals. A three-team first team All-Onondaga High School League selection, Kon wrapped up his career this past fall by earning All-Central New York honors as well. 

"Kyle has the potential to be our most complete all-around player," said Gleason. "He has a solid first touch on the ball and knows how to put it away when attacking."

Gillette will bring a focus to the defensive side of the ball. The 5-foot-10 libero/defensive specialist was also a four-year letter-winner for the Spencerport Rangers and coach Aaron Austin. His junior and senior seasons were his best, helping the Rangers capture back-to-back Monroe County Division II and Section V Class B championships. As a junior, Gillette also led the Rangers to the Far West Regional title and an appearance in the New York State Division II finals where he was named to the all-tournament team. A two-time All-Greater Rochester honorable mention selection, Gillette was named the Rangers' MVP this past fall, and a first team All-Monroe County selection as well.

"Jaden plays a very smooth game and brings great ball control to the court," said Gleason. "His touch on the first contact is going to be huge for us."

Joining Gillette as a defensive focal point is the 5-foot-10 Beck. A three-time Scholar-Athlete recipient, Beck helped the North Allegheny Tigers and coach Dan Schall to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League district championship, and a runner-up finish in the state playoffs this past fall. 

"Ryan will bring a great work ethic to our gym every day," said Gleason. "He is definitely a run-through-the-wall kind of player which is exactly what I'm looking for in a defender."

Fellow Pennsylvania native Krueger, a 6-foot-2 setter, comes to Daemen after serving as captain of the Canonsburg Big Macs for three of his four varsity seasons. A second team All-Section honoree as a junior, Krueger upped that to a first team selection this past fall, while also adding third team All-WPIAL honors. 

"Michael has a great mind for the game, runs a smooth offense and has the right personality for the setting position," said Gleason. "He'll waste no time in building a strong connection with the incoming attackers."

From the outskirts of suburban Chicago comes Winkfield, a 6-foot-4 middle hitter. He was a three-year varsity player for the Oswego East Wolves and coach Brian Zerfas, and was an All-Southwest Prairie Conference honoree as a junior. 

"Jahari comes to Daemen with a very high ceiling," said Gleason. "His physicality and speed allow him to be a true force at the net, both offensively and defensively."

And rounding out the group is Perez who will journey nearly 2,000 miles from his native Puerto Rico. A 6-foot-6 middle blocker, Perez is a product of the Ponce Pumas club team. He has earned multiple all-star honors while playing on one of the top teams in Puerto Rico the last several years.

"Randy brings an intense passion to the game, that may even match my own," said Gleason. "He's already a great player, but what really caught my attention is his desire to constantly improve."

The Daemen men's volleyball program, which is being funded in part by a grant from the MotorMVB Foundation, will begin competition in January of 2019. 

For more information and breaking news on the Daemen men's volleyball program, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenMVB on Twitter.

 
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