Wildcats Make Short Trek Sunday To D'Youville

Crosstown Rivals Meet For First Time This Season

1/24/2020 12:30:00 PM

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

GAME #4
DAEMEN WILDCATS (0-3) VS. D'YOUVILLE SPARTANS (0-0, 0-0 AMCC)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26
COLLEGE CENTER GYMNASIUM (BUFFALO, N.Y.) - 1:00 PM

THE SERVE: 10 THINGS TO KNOW
1. Daemen returns to action after a nine-day hiatus by visiting crosstown rival D'Youville, a member of NCAA Division III and the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

2. Daemen is still searching for their first win of the season after suffering losses to high-profile Division I opponents UCLA (3-0), Pepperdine (3-0) and Harvard (3-1). Both UCLA (No. 2) and Pepperdine (No. 8) were nationally-ranked at the time of their matches against the Wildcats. The three matches, as well as a neutral site contest between Pepperdine and Harvard, brought capacity or near-capacity crowds to Lumsden Gymnasium.

3. Sunday's match marks the season opener for D'Youville. The Spartans posted a 7-19 overall record and a 4-10 mark in AMCC play last season, and return just six players from that squad.

4. Daemen is in the midst of the season season in program history. The Wildcats went 6-17 in their innaugural season while fielding a roster comprised entirely of first-year college players.

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. Sunday's match marks the third all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Spartans. The teams split a pair of matches, both played at D'Youville's College Center Gym, last season. Daemen drew last blood with a 3-1 win on March 22.

7. Daemen has been led offensively this season by graduate transfer Zach Yerington. The former Ohio State Buckeye is producing a team-high 2.90 kills per set and attacking at a .213 clip thus far. Yerington has reached double-figure kills in back-to-back matches, including a season-high 13 in Daemen's 3-1 loss to Harvard on Jan. 16.

8. Yerington has also made his presence felt defensively. In the loss to Harvard, he totaled seven blocks, establishing a new single-match program record. The previous record of six was held by teammate Jesse Donorovich in a match last season against Alderson Broaddus.

9. Sophomore setter Michael Krueger put up a season-high 37 assists in Daemen's loss to Harvard. It marked his 16th career match with 25+ assists. Krueger has reached double-figure assists in all 26 matches of his career.

10. Daemen ranks 21st nationally in blocks per set (2.00) in the early portion of the season. Yerington (0.90 b/s) and freshman Ryan Parker (0.80 b/s) have led the way at the net.

D'YOUVILLE SCOUTING REPORT

D'Youville is led by alumnus Chris Krueger who was named the program's head coach on May 31, 2019. Krueger played for the Spartans from 2010-13 and went on to be the head men's and women's volleyball coach locally at Hilbert College, followed by an assistant coaching stint on the women's volleyball staff at Division I Canisius College.
The Spartans return just six players from their 2019 team that went 7-19 overall and 4-10 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. D'Youville's 2020 roster includes seven newcomers as well.
Junior Ali Khadra, a 6-foot-7 middle blocker, headlines the Spartan returners after averaging 1.70 kills per set in 26 matches last season. Khadra, a product of Williamsville East High School, also produced a team-high 83 blocks.
Also back is senior setter Karl Jauch, the team's top setter who posted 572 assists last season, good for 6.89 assists per set.
The Spartans were picked eighth (out of eight) in the AMCC preseason coaches' poll which was released earlier this month.

SERIES HISTORY VS. D'YOUVILLE
All-Time Series: 1-1
At D'Youville: 1-1
Current Streak: Daemen won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, D'Youville 1 (25-22, 25-27, 25-21, 31-29) | Mar. 22, 2019 | at Buffalo, N.Y.

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 came against some of the top programs in the country. In addition to hosting 19-time national champion and No. 2-ranked UCLA in their season opener, Daemen also welcomed 2019 national semifinalist Pepperdine (Jan. 14) and Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association fixture 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 came in as the No. 8 ranked team in the AVCA Division I-II national poll. Harvard came in with six top-four finishes in the last eight seasons within the EIVA. 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
The Wildcats return home to host the Daemen Quint-Match on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. The Wildcats will take on the likes of Wittenberg, St. John Fisher and Alderson Broaddus with additional neutral site contests on the docket as well.

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