Skip To Main Content

Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
top 10 moments mvb vs ucla

Top 10 Moments of 2019-20: Men's Volleyball Hosts Perennial Powerhouse UCLA

7/8/2020 12:00:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. - On Wednesdays and Fridays this summer, daemenwildcats.com will feature stories that look back upon the top 10 moments of the 2019-20 season. Record-setting performances, important wins and history-making achievements will be documented in the series.

THE MOMENT:
Men's Volleyball hosts perennial powerhouse UCLA

The second season in the history of the Daemen men's volleyball program began in historic fashion when the Wildcats welcomed the UCLA Bruins, winners of 19 national championships, to Lumsden Gymnasium on January 2. Even though UCLA, then ranked No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I/II poll, came out with a straight-sets victory (25-16, 25-16, 25-17), the Wildcats showed the promise of a team that would eventually win seven-straight matches in the month of February and ultimately finish the year with a 12-7 record, doubling the win total from their inaugural campaign despite having their final 10 matches cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The match was played before a sold out Lumsden Gymnasium crowd, and was the first showcase of an NCAA Division I men's volleyball team to be played in Western New York in a number of years. A surreal moment concluded the event as the capacity crowd stood and clapped as the teams shook hands, followed by both teams applauding the fans from the court. It was a sincere show of appreciation from fans, players and coaches alike for the opportunity to watch or compete in such a match. 
"Today really wasn't about today," noted Daemen head coach Don Gleason in his post-match press conference. "It was about putting on display who we want to be for the rest of the season, who we want to be as a program moving forward for years to come."

Gleason wasn't the only coach pleased with the experience. In his 10-minute session with reporters after the match, UCLA head coach John Speraw said, "I was really happy with the match tonight. I thought the crowd was great, obviously to see the enthusiasm, and obviously there must have been some really nice marketing and support from Daemen in bringing the fans out. It was fun for us to be here."

The match was essentially a bi-product of the relationship that has developed between Gleason and Speraw over the last few years. Speraw, who also serves as head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team, is the co-founder of First Point Volleyball Foundation (formerly MotorMVB) which provided a $60,000 grant to aid in the establishment of Daemen's program in 2017. He spoke about the foundation's role with promoting the game at the college level: "Daemen was one of, maybe our first [Division] two grant, and we were real excited to have that opportunity. And now obviously [the foundation is supporting] the historical black colleges. So, we've done a nice job of helping out with [Division] two and we look forward to expanding that in the future."
UCLA wouldn't be the only tough test for the Wildcats early in their 2020 campaign. Daemen additionally welcomed 2019 national semifinalist Pepperdine and iconic east coast program Harvard to Lumsden Gymnasium in mid-January. Those matches featured big crowds too as the Western New York volleyball community showed out to support the showcase. The experience gained by Daemen's young program paved the way for a successful season that later included a 3-0 defeat of St. Francis Brooklyn - their first-ever win against a Division I program. 


 
Print Friendly Version