Men's Volleyball Ends Long Hiatus Friday At D'Youville Tri-Match

3/21/2019 9:04:00 AM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

GAME INFORMATION & LINKS
MATCH #16: Daemen Wildcats (4-11) vs. Nazareth Golden Flyers (12-10, 3-5 UVC)
Friday, Mar. 22 | 5 p.m. | Buffalo, N.Y. | College Center Gym | D'Youville Tri-Match
Live Video

MATCH #17: Daemen Wildcats (4-11) vs. D'Youville Spartans (4-13, 1-6 AMCC)
Friday, Mar. 22 | 7 p.m. | Buffalo, N.Y. | College Center Gym | D'Youville Tri-Match
Live Stats
Live Video

THE SERVE
Daemen returns to action by participating in a tri-match hosted by crosstown rival D'Youville. The Wildcats will take on the host Spartans in the nightcap, following a matchup with Nazareth. It marks Daemen's first action going 1-3 at the Wells Classic Tournament held March 1-2.

THE BEARDED ONE
Don Gleason was named the first head men's volleyball coach at Daemen on May 5, 2017, the same day that the establishment of the program was announced. Gleason brings a wealth of experience to the position, including previous coaching stops at Stony Brook, Buffalo, Yale, Southern California and Medaille. In addition to his coaching responsibilities with the men's program, Gleason has served as an assistant coach with the Daemen women's team for the past three seasons, helping them to a pair of NCAA tournament berths.

THE FRESHMEN EXPERIENCE
Daemen is fielding a nine-man roster in this inaugural season, and all nine are freshman when it comes to athletic eligibility. Eight of the nine players are new to Daemen this year. Freshman setter Michael Krueger is expected to run the team's offense, and he'll be distributing to the likes of Jahari Winkfield and Jesse Donorovich, both of whom are adjusting to more playing time on the pin after playing primary in the middle during their respective scholastic careers. Australian product Henry Moffitt gives the Wildcats a big presence down the middle with his 6-foot-6 frame. Defensively, the Wildcats will rely on freshmen Ryan Beck and Jaden Gillette to dig balls in the back row.

OUT-BATTLING THE BATTLERS
Daemen picked up the first win in program history in their debut match, defeating the Alderson Broaddus Battlers in a five-set thriller on Jan. 11 as part of the Red Flash Invitational. 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.

MANHANDLING THE MAVERICKS
In the first-ever meeting between Daemen and Medaille, the Wildcats ousted their crosstown rivals in three sets on Feb. 9. Led by setter Michael Krueger (26 assists) and outside hitter Kyle Kon (team-high nine kills), Daemen attacked at a season-best .246 clip. On the flip side, Medaille committed 21 hitting errors and 20 service errors. It marked Daemen's first regular season home match, and their first-ever win at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats followed up with a 3-1 win over Medaille on Feb. 17 as part of the D'Youville quad-match. Kon led the way again with 16 kills, while Krueger tallied 39 assists.

REGARDING HENRY
Freshman middle hitter Henry Moffitt was named to the all-tournament team at the Juniata Invitational. The 6-foot-7 Aussie totaled 16 kills over three tournament matches, and attacked at a .353 clip. He averaged 1.6 kills and 1.0 blocks per set, and became the first-ever Daemen player to earn all-tournament team honors.

NAZARETH SCOUTING REPORT
Nazareth is a member of NCAA Division III and the United Volleyball Conference. The Golden Flyers are led by Cal Wickens, the only head coach in team history who is now in his 15th season at the helm. In that time, Wickens has led Nazareth to more than 340 wins; he holds a career winning percentage of 71.9. The Golden Flyers return nine players from their 2018 team that went 17-13. Junior middle blocker Sean Dillon, an honorable mention All-UVC selection last season, headlines the team's returners. The Golden Flyers have won two straight matches, including a 3-1 defeat of Elmira earlier this week, moving their record to 12-10 this season. Senior outside hitter Zachary Gillard (2.88 kills/set) and sophomore outside/right-side hitter Antonio Sargent (2.38 kills/set) have paced the Nazareth offense thus far. Dillon has contributed 43 blocks, second on the team behind senior middle blocker Ethan Ross (47).

D'YOUVILLE SCOUTING REPORT
D'Youville is a member of NCAA Division III and the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. The Spartans are coached by Hans Schroeder who is in his second season at the helm. A Buffalo native, Schroeder led the Spartans to a 7-16 record in his inaugural campaign with a team that featured AMCC Co-Player of the Year Pat Stroh. Nine players return to the fold this season, including Stroh and second-team All-AMCC honoree Ali Khadra. D'Youville, which also plays Nazareth at 3 p.m. Friday, is looking to snap a three-match slide. They are coming off a 3-0 loss at Elmira this past Saturday. Stroh is contributing a team-high 2.17 kills per set, and Khadra leads the team with a .206 hitting percentage.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen takes on St. John Fisher and Vassar at the former's tri-match on Saturday, March 30.

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