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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
kuliga wvb vs edinboro
0
Queens (NY) QUE 3-14,2-5 ECC
3
Winner Daemen DAE 14-7,7-0 ECC
Queens (NY) QUE
3-14,2-5 ECC
0
Final
3
Daemen DAE
14-7,7-0 ECC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Queens (NY) QUE 7 12 18 (0)
Daemen DAE 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications | (716) 839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

Wildcats Clinch Conference Tournament Berth With 3-0 Victory

Daemen downs visiting Queens to stay unbeaten in ECC play

AMHERST, N.Y. - With three weeks still remaining in the regular season, the Daemen women's volleyball team is officially postseason bound. The Wildcats clinched a berth to next month's East Coast Conference Championship tournament by defeating Queens (N.Y.) 3-0 (25-7, 25-12, 25-18) this evening at Lumsden Gymnasium. The win keeps the Wildcats unbeaten (7-0) in conference play and atop the ECC standings. 

Daemen has won 10 of their last 12 matches, improving to 14-7 overall with today's victory. They remain in the driver's seat in the race for the conference tournament's number one seed. The ECC Championship will feature the top four teams in the final league standings and is slated for November 19-20 on the campus of the top seed. The Wildcats will be making their fourth conference tournament appearance since gaining full NCAA Division II membership in 2015. The 2021 tournament will be the conference's first since 2019 after seeing the full 2020 conference slate wiped out by COVID-19. 

Tonight's result also extended Daemen's home winning streak to five straight matches dating back to last season. In home matches, the Wildcats are 4-0 this season, 25-9 since the start of the 2018 season and 23-5 in conference matches since head coach Stephanie Albano took the reigns of the program in 2016. It also marked Albano's 90th win as head coach, and she stands just three wins shy of passing Sally Kus for the second most victories among coaches in team history.

Queens, which is attempting to stay in the hunt for a conference tournament berth, arrived somewhat depleted with just eight healthy players. The Knights dropped to 3-14 overall and 2-5 in the league. 

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Junior middle blocker Loren Alberts (Huntley, Ill.) recorded a match-high nine kills on a .615 hitting percentage to lead the Wildcats. She was one of only two starters to play in all three sets. 
  • Daemen also got eight kills apiece from grad student Caitlyn Meyer (Clarence, N.Y.) and redshirt junior Ali Cousins (Eldred, Pa.). Meyer, who has ranked among the ECC's most productive offensive players all season, appeared in just the opening set while increasing her team-high kill total to 241 on the year. She did not commit a single hitting error and finished with a season-best .727 hitting percentage. Cousins' production was a season-high and the most kills she's produced since having 10 vs. Bridgeport on November 10, 2019.
  • Setters Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) and Dunja Masic (McHenry, Ill.) split time for the Wildcats and combined for 39 of the team's 43 assists. Alessi totaled 13 while Masic, the reigning ECC Setter of the Week, had a match-high 26. 
  • The Wildcats also got solid outings from junior Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.). Burns contributed a career-high five service aces and 12 digs, while Brundage added nine digs. 

TURNING POINT
Daemen pounded down 18 kills on a .515 hitting percentage in the opening set and really never looked back. The Wildcats recorded 47 kills on a .354 hitting percentage in the match. Queens was limited to just 13 kills - the third-least allowed by Daemen during the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present). It's the least of amount of kills Daemen has allowed since Queens totaled just nine in a 3-0 Wildcat victory on November 2, 2019. 

UP NEXT
The Wildcats put their unblemished conference record on the line tomorrow when they go for the season sweep of defending ECC champion Molloy. First serve is set for 1 p.m. at Lumsden Gymnasium. 

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Follow the Daemen College women's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWVB.
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