LORETTO, Pa. - The night finally arrived for head coach Don Gleason and the Daemen College men's volleyball team. Nearly two years after the college announced it was adding the sport to its stable of intercollegiate athletic teams, the Wildcats took the court tonight for the first match in program history.

The countless hours of planning, recruiting and building a culture finally took form for Gleason and his roster of eight true freshmen and one redshirt freshman. The Wildcats made the most of the historic event and rallied for a thrilling 3-2 victory over Alderson Broaddus University during opening round action of the Red Flash Invitational. The four-team tournament is being hosted by Saint Francis University. It also marked the 2019 season-opener for ABU, a Division II program from Philippi, W. Va.

Daemen raced out of the gates and cruised to a 25-14 win in the opening set of the best-of-five match. Things tightened up after that though, as each of the remaining four sets were decided in extra time and by just two points. ABU took sets two (28-26) and three (26-24), but the Wildcats forced a fifth and deciding set following a 26-24 win in the fourth. The deciding set was a nail-biter from start to finish. Neither team led by more than two points throughout the set, which also featured 12 ties. Daemen claimed the match with a 17-15 victory.

Jahari Winkfield (Oswego, Ill.), Jesse Donorovich (Lockport, N.Y.), Michael Krueger (Canonsburg, Pa.) and Jaden Gillette (Spencerport, N.Y.) paced the Wildcats. Winkfield, a 6-foot-4 right side/middle hitter totaled a team-high 20 kills—including six in the fifth set alone. Donorovich, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter/right side, posted 18 kills (five in the fifth set) and also totaled two service aces, five blocks and eight digs. Krueger, a 6-foot-2 setter, handed out 47 assists and also recorded eight digs. Gillette, a 5-foot-10 defensive specialist, registered 18 digs.

Sophomore Cameron Snaden led the ABU attack with 15 kills and 11 digs, while classmate Moses Kresch handed out 44 assists.

Daemen found itself down 21-19 in game four, but the Wildcats scored four of the next five points and took a 23-22 lead following a kill by redshirt freshman Brandon Casterline (North Tonawanda, N.Y). The teams traded points and the set was tied at 24-24 when the Wildcats forced a fifth set following back-to-back kills by Krueger and Donorovich.

Daemen trailed 13-12 in set five, but it got back-to-back kills from Winkfield and later took a 16-15 lead following an ABU service error. The historic match-winning point came by way of a solo block by Donorovich.

Daemen officials announced the addition of men's volleyball in May of 2017. The addition was made possible by a $60,000 grant from the MotorMVB Foundation.  The MotorMVB Foundation (www.MotorMVB.com) is a non-profit organization that focuses on the growth of boys' and men's volleyball at all levels in the United States.

Daemen became just the 27th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II men's volleyball program in the country when it made the announcement, and the only Division II team North of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The Red Flash Invitational continues tomorrow. Daemen will face Division I Saint Francis at 2:30 p.m., followed by Division II Emmanuel (Ga.) at 5 p.m.

The next "first" for the program will come later this month when the Wildcats host their first-ever home game against Elmira College (Jan. 29). A home exhibition match against Brock University on Jan. 23 will preclude the first official home match against Elmira.

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