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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
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Key Regional Contest On Tap Saturday For Women's Volleyball

Wildcats Face St. Anselm In Neutral Site Match At Roberts Wesleyan

10/18/2019 11:05:00 AM

MATCH INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #20
Daemen Wildcats (13-6, 3-2 ECC) vs. St. Anselm Hawks (12-7, 4-1 NE-10)
Saturday, Oct. 19 | 11 a.m.
Rochester, N.Y. | Voller Athletic Center
Live Stats

THE SERVE
Daemen looks to add another regional win to its résumé as they face St. Anselm in a neutral site contest hosted by Roberts Wesleyan. The Wildcats are 6-3 against all East Region opponents this season, but just 1-3 against those with a .500 record or better. With St. Anselm coming in at 12-7 and currently sitting in second place in the NE-10 standings, Saturday's match is an opportunity for the Wildcats to enhance its postseason profile. The Hawks have won 12 of their last 14 outings dating back to mid-September. Daemen has won back-to-back matches, including a 3-0 pasting of Roberts Wesleyan earlier this week. 

ALL ABOUT ALBANO
Since taking the reins of the program in 2016, Stephanie Albano has built the Wildcats into one of the top teams in the East Coast Conference and NCAA Division II East Region. She's guided the program to a 70-41 overall record, a 36-11 mark in conference play, two ECC regular season championships, two NCAA tournament berths and an ECC tournament crown. Albano is a two-time ECC Coach of the Year, the 2016 NCAA Division II East Region Coach of the Year and past recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches Association 30 Under 30 Award. Albano's ascent into coaching came after a stellar prep and collegiate playing career. She was named the Gatorade New York State Player of the Year following her senior season at Lancaster High School, and went on play collegiately at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Before becoming Daemen's associate head coach in 2015, Albano held assistant coaching positions at Canisius, Medaille and Buffalo. 

MAGICAL YEAR
The 2018 season was one for the ages as the Wildcats posted a 21-11 overall record, the 11th 20-win season in program history and their second as an NCAA Division II team. It included a run to the program's second ECC regular season championship as the Wildcats went 13-1 in conference play. Daemen opened the conference slate with nine straight wins. A 3-2 setback at New York Tech on Oct. 21 snapped the streak, but the Wildcats responded with four consecutive wins to close the regular season. They clinched the outright regular season league championship with a 3-2 win at Mercy on Nov. 3, an accomplishment that included the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the ECC tournament. After falling short of the ECC tournament crown in 2016, the Wildcats sealed the deal this time around, defeating No. 4 Bridgeport (3-1) and No. 2 Molloy (3-1) at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats earned the No. 3 seed in the East Region Championship portion of the NCAA tournament, but their magical season came to an end following a 3-0 loss to eventual regional champion American International. 
   
LIFE IN THE BALANCE
The Wildcats featured a balanced offensive attack in 2018 with six players averaging better than 2.0 kills per set. Five of those players return to the roster in 2019, and balance has again been a staple for the Wildcats as eight players are averaging at least 1.0 kill per set. Five players have recorded at least 10 kills in a match this season, led by juniors Allison Post (166 kills, 2.77 kills per set) and Jenn Heritz (155 kills, 2.38 kills per set). Add in sophomore Sam Logan's production (2.33 kills per set) and the Wildcats boast three of the top 12 hitters in the ECC, in terms of kills per set. Heritz and Logan led the way in a recent dismantling of Roberts Wesleyan, combining for 22 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Although their kill numbers are slightly down from last season, seniors Meghan Ballou (1.98 kills/set) and Courtney Bernard (1.65 kills/set) are among the most efficient hitters in the league. Ballou is attacking a .332 clip, ranking third among the league leaders. Bernard ranks fifth with a .294 hitting percentage. 

SETTING THE TABLE
Sophomore setter Isa McCaffrey returns after being named the ECC Co-Setter of the Year in 2018. The Ohio native recorded an ECC-best 1,097 assists last season, becoming just the seventh player in team history to reach 1,000 in a single season. McCaffrey has posted at least 10 assists in 45 of 50 career matches, and she recently surpassed Chelsea Turcer for 10th place on Daemen's all-time assists list. McCaffrey has gotten help running the offense from veteran Georgia Wicker and newcomer Hannah McKee. Wicker recorded 10+ assists in nine of the first 13 matches this season. McKee, who transferred last spring from St. Martin's (Wash.), has come on of late, averaging 8.10 assists per set over the last six matches. She posted a career-high 46 assists - the most for any Daemen setter this season - in a 3-1 win over Southern Connecticut State on Oct. 13, and presently ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in assists per set, averaging 6.93 for the season. 

GETTING GREENY
With so much of the attention focused on Daemen's balanced offense in 2018, Ali Greenwood flew a bit under the radar as she anchored the Wildcat defense as its libero. Her contributions didn't go unnoticed by coaches and teammates however, and she was named the team's MVP after recording 507 digs, third-best among all ECC players. She has already set the tone again defensively in 2019, totaling a team-high 300 digs over the first 19 matches. She currently ranks second in digs per set (4.62) and fourth in total digs among the ECC leaders. Her performance at the season-opening Daemen Volleyball Invitational led to a selection on the all-tournament team as well as ECC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Greenwood has recorded 10+ digs in 46 of the last 52 matches dating back to her freshmen season. She posted 32 digs in Daemen's five-set win over Urbana earlier this season, one shy of her career-high. Greenwood recorded the 1,000th dig of her career in a 3-0 loss at Bridgeport on Oct. 12. In 74 career matches, the junior defensive specialist has totaled 1,042 digs, good for a 3.96 digs-per-set average. 

ECC AND EAST REGION DOMINANCE
Daemen has won 16 of their last 19 regular season ECC contests, and the Wildcats hold a 10-game winning streak in home conference matches. Since the start of the 2016 season, Daemen owns a 36-11 conference record. In the same time span, the Wildcats are 58-21 in all matches against East Region opponents (.734 winning percentage).  
    
ST. ANSELM SCOUTING REPORT
St. Anselm is a member of the Northeast-10 Conference. The Hawks are led by veteran head coach Braden Zamore who has presided over the program's rise since his hiring in 2015. In his tenure, Zamore has led the Hawks to a 74-56 overall record as well as the program's first NCAA tournament appearances, qualifying for the dance in 2017 and 2018. Eight players return from their 2018 roster, including third-team All-NE-10 picks Madison Sollows (Sr., MB) and Catie McCarthy (Sr., OH). Both players have produced again in 2019. Sollows is attacking at a .320 clip, third-best among all NE-10 players. McCarthy ranks fourth among the NE-10 leaders in total kills (212) and kills per set (3.16). Freshman Michelle Henwood has made an immediate impact while seeting the bulk of setting duties; she's producing 8.39 assists per set. The Hawks come into this weekend having won 12 of their last 14 matches. Their only setbacks of late were five-set decisions against Bridgeport (Sept. 21) and Bentley (Oct. 1). The Bentley loss is their lone blemish in NE-10 play this season. 

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. ST. ANSELM
Series Record: 1-0
Streak: Won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, St. Anselm 2 | Oct. 15, 2016 | at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen returns home for a key East Coast Conference showdown with Molloy on Friday, Oct. 25. The Lions (16-4 overall) enter this weekend unbeaten (5-0) in conference play. The match is centered around the Daemen Volleyball Annual Halloween Bash promotion. Spectators are encouraged to come dressed in Halloween costumes. There will be prizes for Daemen students as well as children who come in costume. Children are also invited to go trick-or-treating around the Daemen Athletics offices. 
 
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