Wildcats Return To Conference Play This Weekend

Daemen Hosts ECC Matches Vs. Mercy & Queens

10/3/2019 1:00:00 PM

MATCH INFORMATION & LINKS
Game #15
Daemen Wildcats (9-5, 0-1 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (5-9, 0-1 ECC)
Friday, Oct. 4 | 6 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
Live Stats
Live Streaming Video (via ECC Network)

Game #16
Daemen Wildcats vs. Queens Knights (1-8, 0-1 ECC)
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 3 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
Live Stats
Live Streaming Video (via ECC Network)

THE SERVE
Following a three-match road trip last Sunday and Monday, the Daemen Wildcats return to Lumsden Gymnasium to host a pair of East Coast Conference matches this weekend as Mercy and Queens come to town. The Wildcats are looking to rebound after going 1-2 on the road trip, but they've still won seven of their last nine matches. A non-conference win over Pace was sandwiched between losses to highly thought of teams from Molloy and Adelphi who have combined to go 19-5 so far this season. On paper, it looks like a good opportunity this weekend for the Wildcats to jump into the win column in conference play as they've combined to go 18-6 all-time against Mercy and Queens. But, Mercy features one of the top offensive players in the league in newcomer Imani DeBose, and the Mavericks look to be a team that will be in contention for a conference tournament berth next month.

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 66-40 overall record, a 33-10 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 and Jenn Heritz who have each done so six times. Heritz leads the team in total kills (124), and Post leads in kills per set (2.71). Add in sophomore Sam Logan's production (2.09 kills per set) and the Wildcats boast three of the top 13 hitters in the ECC, in terms of kills per set. Although their kill numbers are slightly down from last season, seniors Meghan Ballou (1.79 kills/set) and Courtney Bernard (1.63 kills/set) are among the most efficient hitters in the league. Ballou is attacking a .308 clip, ranking fifth among the league leaders. Bernard ranks seventh with a .282 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 44 of 46 career matches, and she recently surpassed Chelsea Turcer for 10th place on Daemen's all-time assists list. She currently ranks fifth among the ECC leaders in assists per set (5.19). McCaffrey has gotten help running the offense from veteran Georgia Wicker and newcomer Hannah McKee. Wicker has recorded 10+ assists in 16 of the last 21 matches dating back to last season, including a career-high 31 in the 2018 ECC tournament semifinals. McKee, who transfered last spring from St. Martin's (Wash.), has seen action in seven matches. She totaled a season-high 14 assists at Adelphi on Sept. 30.

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 223 digs over the first 14 matches. She currently leads the ECC in total digs, and ranks third in digs per set (4.55). 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 41 of the last 47 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. In 69 career matches, the junior defensive specialist has totaled 965 digs.

HOME COOKING
This weekend's matches take place at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium where the Wildcats have won 12 of their last 13 matches. Daemen is 6-1 at home this season, and the Wildcats have posted nearly a .700 winning percentage here since the start of the 2016 season (32-14 overall).

ECC AND EAST REGION DOMINANCE
Recent losses to Molloy and Adelphi fly in the face of what's become the norm with the Wildcats in recent years. Daemen has won 13 of their last 15 regular season ECC contests, and owns a 33-10 conference record since the start of the 2016 season. In the same time span, the Wildcats are 54-20 in all matches against East Region opponents (.730 winning percentage).

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT
Mercy appears to be a team on the rise as the Mavericks return eight players from their 2018 team that went 14-17 overall and 6-8 in ECC play, marking the program's best season since a 19-13 campaign in 2005. The Mavericks are getting great production out of several newcomers so far this season, beginning with senior outside hitter Imani DeBose, a transfer from The College of New Rochelle. DeBose will enter this weekend as the ECC leader in total kills (185) and kills per set (3.63). Sophomores Loreto Nunez Casal (2.59 kills/set) and Selma Vulic (2.18 kills/set) are also producing offensively for the Mavericks. Junior Natalia Garcia has been their primary setter, averaging 7.56 assists per set, good for third-best in the ECC. Defensively, Adriana Lopez-Soto (3.91 digs/set) and NeKendra Liddie (0.64 blocks/set) lead the way. The Mavericks are under the direction of head coach Georgia Efthalitsides who is in her fourth year at the helm. Mercy was picked fourth in the ECC preseason poll, and they've opened the season with six wins in their first 15 matches. They'll bring a two-match winning streak into Friday's match. The Mavericks knocked off defending East Region champion American International in five sets last Saturday, and added a 3-0 win over St. Michael's earlier this week.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: 10-2
Streak: Won 8
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Mercy 2 | Nov. 3, 2018 | at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

QUEENS SCOUTING REPORT
Queens is led by interim head coach Stefan Leger who was elevated to the role last January after serving as an assistant coach with the Knights during the 2018 season. Just five players return from Queens' 2018 roster. The Knights posted a 1-25 overall record and an 0-14 mark in conference play last season. Sophomore outside hitter Dee-Ana Mitchell (1.89 kills/set), junior middle blocker Briana Green (1.75 kills/set) and senior middle blocker/right-side hitter Lauren Kehoe (1.65 kills/set) have been QC's top offensive players so far this season. Junior setter Alisha Matthews ranks fourth in assists per set (5.86) and service aces per set (0.50) among the ECC leaders. Freshman middle blocker Alexis Deodat is contributing 0.68 blocks per set to pace the defensive efforts at the net. Queens, which plays Friday night at Roberts Wesleyan, has dropped eight straight contests after opening the season with a 3-0 defeat of Dominican (N.Y.).

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. QUEENS
Series Record: 8-4
Streak: Won 2
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Queens 0 | Oct. 26, 2018 | at Amherst, N.Y.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen travels to Connecticut for matches vs. Bridgeport (Saturday, Oct. 12) and Southern Connecticut State (Sunday, Oct. 13).

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