Wildcats Set To Host #8 Pepperdine & Harvard This Week

Pepperdine & Harvard Will Also Meet At Lumsden Gymnasium

1/13/2020 6:20:00 PM

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

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL GAME #2 - PRESENTED BY LAKE SHORE SAVINGS BANK
DAEMEN WILDCATS (0-1) VS. #8 PEPPERDINE WAVES (1-0, 0-0 MPSF)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) - 7:00 PM

NEUTRAL SITE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL GAME
HARVARD CRIMSON (2-1. 0-0 EIVA) VS. #8 PEPPERDINE WAVES (1-0, 0-0 MPSF)
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) - 7:00 PM

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL GAME #3 - PRESENTED BY ILIO DIPAOLO'S
DAEMEN WILDCATS VS. HARVARD CRIMSON
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) - 5:00 PM

THE SERVE: 10 THINGS TO KNOW
1. After opening the 2020 season by facing 19-time national champion UCLA on Jan. 2, Daemen welcomes two more high-profile Division I opponents to Lumsden Gymnasium this week as they host 2019 national semifinalist Pepperdine and Harvard.

2. The 2020 season marks the second in Daemen's program history. With a roster comprised entirely of first-year college players, Daemen posted a 6-17 overall mark in their inaugural season last winter/spring. Eight players, including all six starters and the team's top libero, return in 2020.

3. Pepperdine comes in as the No. 8 ranked team in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I-II national poll. The Waves went 23-7 last season, but must cope with the loss of several starters to graduation.

4. Harvard is looking to rebound after posting a 6-16 record last season. The Crimson have six top-four finishes in the last eight seasons within the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

5. Daemen is led once again by Don Gleason who was named the first head coach in program history back in May of 2017. Before coming to Daemen, Gleason made assistant coaching stops at Stony Brook, Buffalo, Yale, Southern California and Medaille. He played an integral role in establishing the formation of Daemen's program, including the pursuit of a $60,000 grant from the First Point Volleyball Foundation (formerly MotorMVB). Founded by UCLA head coach John Speraw, the First Point Volleyball Foundation is assisting in efforts nationwide to create more opportunities for men's volleyball players at both the high school and college levels.

6. Daemen hung tough in their first-ever meeting with UCLA, falling in three sets (16-25, 16-25, 17-25). Graduate student Zach Yerington totaled six kills, six digs and two service aces in his Daemen debut to pace the Wildcats.

7. Daemen is coming off a 3-2 exhibition win (15-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-11) north of the border over Brock on Jan. 9. After falling in a 2-0 hole, the Wildcats rallied to take three-straight sets. Freshmen Zach Schneider (16 kills) and Ryan Parker (11 kills) led the way.

8. Both Pepperdine and Harvard feature players that hail from Western New York. Spencer Wickens, a native of Irondequoit, is a part-time starter at libero for the Waves, and the son of Nazareth College head coach Cal Wickens. Harvard's top two offensive players so far this season are Starpoint graduate Campbell Schoenfeld and Canisius graduate Griffin Schmit.

9. In addition to Daemen's matches against Pepperdine and Harvard, the two Division I teams will meet Wednesday at Lumsden Gymnasium. Pepperdine leads the all-time series with Harvard 3-0, and Wednesday's match will be the first between the two since 2015. All three prior meetings have occurred at Pepperdine.

10. Sophomore defensive specialist Jaden Gillette was recently named to the Erik Shoji Award Watch List by Off the Block. The Erik Shoji Award is given annually to the top libero competing in NCAA Division I-II. Gillette averaged 1.79 digs per set last season, and his 18 digs in the program's first-ever win (a 3-2 defeat of Alderson Broaddus) were the most for any player from an independent team.

PEPPERDINE SCOUTING REPORT

Pepperdine is a member of the West Coast Conference, and for men's volleyball they compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Now in its 50th season, the program has a storied history that includes five national championships, second only to UCLA's 19.
The Waves have finished in the top 10 of the AVCA Division I-II national poll in 22 of the last 23 seasons, and they are currently the No. 8 ranked team in the country.
Pepperdine is led by third-year head coach David Hunt who has led the program to a 39-15 record to date. The 2008 UCLA grad was hired following the departure of head coach emeritus Marv Dunphy in 2017.
Pepperdine features a 21-player roster that includes three returning starters from their 2019 team that went 23-7 overall and 9-3 in MPSF play. The Waves are the defending MPSF regular season and tournament champions, and advanced to the 2019 national semifinals where they fell in four sets to eventual national champion Long Beach St.
Senior setter Rob Mullahey headlines the Pepperdine returners. Mullahey has totaled 2,038 assists in his career, ranking eighth in program history. He earned honorable mention All-American honors from the AVCA last season when he averaged 10.32 assists per set.
Noah Dyer and Spencer Wickens are the other returning starters. The two defensive specialists combined for 237 digs last season. Wickens hails from Irondequoit, N.Y. and played scholastically at Rochester's McQuaid High School.
The Waves' seven returning letterwinners accounted for just 3% of their total kills last season.
The Waves bring a 1-0 record into this week's action after downing Division III affiliate Cal Lutheran 3-0 in their season-opener on Jan. 5. The Waves attacked at a .382 clip in the match, and six of the 11 players who saw the court were making their Pepperdine debuts.

SERIES HISTORY VS. PEPPERDINE
All-Time Series: 0-0
At Daemen: 0-0
Current Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A

HARVARD SCOUTING REPORT

Harvard is a member of the Ivy League, and for men's volleyball they compete in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
The Crimson are led by veteran head coach Brian Baise who is in his 12th season at the helm. The 1995 Princeton graduate has led Harvard to a 133-127 overall record.
Harvard returns 11 players from their 2019 team that went 6-16 overall and 5-9 in EIVA play. They've been picked fifth out of eight teams in the EIVA preseason coaches' poll.
Senior setter Matthew Ctvrtlik headlines the Crimson returners. A two-time All-EIVA honoree, Ctvrtlik racked up 753 assists (8.86 ast/set) last season, and he enters his final collegiate season ranking sixth in program history with 1,693 assists.
The Crimson roster also features two Western New York natives. Campbell Schoenfeld is a 6-foot-8 outside hitter now in his sophomore season after prepping at Starpoint High School in Niagara County. Griffin Schmit, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter, is in his junior campaign after graduating from Canisius High School.
Harvard has opened the season with two wins in their first three contests. They own wins over Grand Canyon and Emmanuel (Ga.), and their only defeat thus far is to No. 1 Hawaii.
Schoenfeld (3.89 kills/set) and Schmit (2.67 kills/set) have led the Crimson offense thus far, while Ctvrtlik is averaging 9.38 assists per set.

SERIES HISTORY VS. HARVARD
All-Time Series: 0-0
At Daemen: 0-0
Current Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for each match this week remain on sale, and can be purchased over the phone by calling (716) 839-8385, or upon entering Lumsden Gymnasium before each match. Doors to Lumsden Gymnasium will open exactly one hour prior to each start time and all seating is general admission.

THE DAPPER DON
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 four seasons, helping them to a pair of NCAA tournament berths. In the men's inaugural season, Gleason guided a group entirely comprised of first-year college players to a 6-17 overall record. His first head coaching victory came in the program's first-ever match - a 3-2 defeat of Alderson Broaddus on Jan. 11 at the Red Flash Invitational hosted by St. Francis (Pa.).

COMPLIMENTS FROM A GIANT IN THE GAME
In a recent interview on The Jerry Sullivan Show (1270 The Fan), UCLA and U.S. Men's National Team coach John Speraw had some very complimentary things to about Daemen head coach Don Gleason. Speraw said, "He's really been incredibly thorough about everything in terms of how he's growing it, how he really worked hard at Daemen to make it happen, obviously now how he's going out recruiting... he's out working hard so I'm guessing they're going to be good quick. He's a good coach and he's working it."

STIFF TESTS
Daemen's first three regular season contests of 2020 come against some of the top programs in the country. In addition to hosting 19-time national champion UCLA in their season opener, Daemen will also welcome 2019 national semifinalist Pepperdine (Jan. 14) and Harvard (Jan. 16) to Lumsden Gymnasium, all in the first three weeks of January. Pepperdine is the defending champion of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and finished 2019 with a No. 3 ranking in the AVCA Division I-II national poll. Harvard comes in with six top-four finishes in the last eight seasons within the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. In addition, Daemen will face Division I opponents Ball State (away, Feb. 8), St. Francis-Brooklyn (home, Mar. 7; away, Apr. 3) and St. Francis (Pa.) (away, Mar. 27) this season.

THE FRESHMAN EXPERIENCE
Competing in the program's inaugural season in 2019, Daemen fielded a nine-man roster comprised entirely of first-year college players. The Wildcats posted a 6-17 overall record in 2019. The first match in program history resulted in a win - a 3-2 defeat of Alderson Broaddus on Jan. 11. The Wildcats went on to add a pair of wins over crosstown rival Medaille, as well as single defeats of Lasell, D'Youville and Vassar. They closed the campaign by competing in the Independent Volleyball Association Tournament hosted by Lincoln Memorial in The Volunteer State. Eight players, including all six starters and the team's top libero, return to the mix in 2020.

WINK, WINK
Sophomore right-side/middle hitter Jahari Winkfield headlines Daemen's group of returners. The 6-foot-4 Illinois native led Daemen with 222 kills and 2.81 kills per set in 2019, and was the lone Wildcat to be named to the Off the Block All-Independent Team. Winkfield reached 10 kills in 10 matches last season, including three with 20 or more. He tallied a career-high 21 kills in a five-set loss to Misericordia.

ASSIST MAN
Sophomore setter Michael Krueger returns to the fold after handling the bulk of setting duties as a rookie in 2019. Krueger totaled 667 assists last season, good for an 8.04 assists-per-set average. He topped 40 assists in four matches last season, including a season-high 47 while making his collegiate debut in a 3-2 defeat of Alderson Broaddus. He also led the team in total digs (150) and digs per set (1.81), and ranked second on the team in service aces (19). Krueger notched three double-doubles in 2019, including 43 assists and 14 digs in a four-set win over D'Youville.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Sophomore defensive specialist Jaden Gillette totaled 134 digs and averaged 1.79 digs per set while appearing in all 23 matches in 2019. Those efforts have him being mentioned alongside some of the top defensive players in the country as he was recently named to Off the Block's Erik Shoji Award Watch List. The award is given annually to the top libero competing within NCAA Division I-II.

BOLSTERING THE ROSTER
The Wildcats' roster depth should be far greater in year two as head coach Don Gleason has added nine newcomers to the fold. Among the new faces is graduate transfer Zach Yerington, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound right-side hitter who helped Ohio State to national championships in 2016 and 2017. A Western New York native, Yerington was a two-time All-State player during his scholastic days at Hamburg High School.

LATE ADD
Daemen's 2020 roster was further bolstered with the addition of outside hitter Zach Schneider who inked a letter of intent in November. Schneider is a 6-foot-6 outside hitter who earned numerous accolades over the last several years while competing at Lockport High School in nearby Niagara County. Schneider was originally committed to defending national champion Long Beach State, but opted to re-open his recruitment during the fall semester, ultimately landing here with the Wildcats.

NEXT SERVE
Daemen head across town to face D'Youville on Sunday, Jan. 26.

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