• SUNY Potsdam is a member of NCAA Division III and the North East Athletic Conference (NEAC). The program is in its inaugural season.
• The Bears are led by head coach Josh Stokes, who previously serves as the women's volleyball coach at Potsdam for the past seven years. 
• The Bears posted a 3-0 win over North Vermont University-Johnson in their first-ever match back on Jan. 24. Potsdam also earned a win in its first-ever NEAC match, as they defeated Wilson College on Feb. 8. 
• Freshman Zaire Rogers had 12 kills and 13 digs in the win over Wilson and leads the team in kills per set (2.89) and digs (50). The Cheektowaga, N.Y. native also posted a double-double (10 kills, 11 digs) in the season-opening win over NVU-Johnson. 
• Sophomore setter Alec Roy of North Tonanwanda, N.Y. is averaging 4.94 assists per set. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. SUNY POTSDAM
All-Time Series: 0-0
 

WELLS SCOUTING REPORT

• Wells is a member of NCAA Division III and the NEAC.
• The Express posted 28-9 overall record and a 7-3 mark in the NEAC last year. They went on to claim their first-ever NEAC Tournament title and advance to the "Elite Eight" of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
• The Express are led by head coach Jim Nichols, who was promoted to head coach prior to the start of last season after serving as an assistant coach for two seasons. He is the third head coach in the nine year history of the program.
• Wells has posted a 13-2 record thus far and is ranked sixth in this weeks NVA/AVCA Division III poll.
• Wells returns seven players from last year's team, include a trio of all-conference performers.
• Senior outsider hitter Caden O'Loughlin and junior right side hitter Robert Patzer both earned first-team all-conference honors last year. O'Loughlin anks second among NEAC players in kills per set (3.34) this year, while Patzer ranks third (3.17). O'Loughlin had a season-high 18 kills in a 3-1 win over Penn State Behrend, while Patzer had a season-high 20 kills in the same match. Patzer also leads the team in digs (85).
• Senior Josh Undari, a second team All-NEAC pick last year, ranks second in the conference in assists per set (9.37) and dished out a season-high 61 in an early-season 3-2 win at UC Santa Cruz. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. WELLS
All-Time Series: 0-2
At Wells: 0-1
Current Streak: L 2
Last Meeting: Wells 3, Daemen 1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21) | March 2, 2019 | at Aurora, N.Y.
 

PENN STATE ALTOONA SCOUTING REPORT

• Penn State Altoona is a member of NCAA Division III and the Allegheny Mountain Athletic Conference (AMCC). 
• The Lions are led by head coach Phil Peterman who has guided the program since its inception eight years ago. He was named the AMCC Coach of the Year in 2017 after leading the Lions a 26-7 record, the AMCC Tournament title and their first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. Peterman entered the 2020 season with a 95-100 career record. 
• Penn State Altoona returns 10 players from last year, but must overcome the graduation of two all-conference players. 
• The Lions enter the weekend riding a three-match winning streak following recent wins over Misericordia, St. Vincent and Wilkes. 
• Senior outside hitter Frank Perehinec is averaging a team-high 2.04 kills per set. Freshman setter Tyler Sheaffer has made an immediate impact all over the floor, as he leads the team in assists per set (4.50) and ranks second in kills per set (1.93) and digs per set (1.71). Sheaffer had eight kills, 12 assists and five digs in the win over Wilkes.

SERIES HISTORY VS. PENN STATE ALTOONA
All-Time Series: 0-0

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.

ZACH ATTACK
The 2020 roster features nine newcomers, headlined by the addition of graduate transfer Zach Yerington and freshman Zach Schneider. Yerington, a 6-foot-5 right-side hitter, helped Ohio State to national championships in 2016 and 2017. Schneider, a 6-foot-6 outsider hitter, 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. The two have paced an offense that is averaging 11.17 kills per set. Yerington set a new program record for kills in a match (36) during the win over Lincoln Memorial and is averaging a team-high 3.53 kills per set. The 36 kills against LMU rank as the most by an NCAA Division I/II player so far this season. Schneider had 19 kills and just one attack error in the win over Urbana and is averaging 3.13 kills per set. He also leads the team in service aces (12).

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. He ranks fourth on the team in total kills (31) this year and is tied for the team lead in total blocks (16).

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. He leads the team in assists per set (8.47) and digs per set (1.87) this year and posted career-highs for both assists (54) and digs (18) in the win over Lincoln Memorial.

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.

NEXT SERVE
The Wildcats are idle until Feb. 23 when they take part in a tri-match hosted by Medaille College.