Wildcats Wrap Up Homestand Thursday Vs. Edinboro

10/6/2021 11:30:00 AM

Match #16
Daemen Wildcats (9-6, 3-0 ECC) vs. Edinboro Fighting Scots (12-1, 5-0 PSAC)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 7
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
Live Stream: Via ECC Sports Network
Live Stats: Via daemenwildcats.com

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1. WRAP IT UP
Daemen's first homestand of the 2021 season concludes Thursday evening as the Wildcats take on Edinboro in a non-conference contest beginning at 6 p.m. The match features two surging teams as the Wildcats have won five of their six, while Edinboro brings an eight-match winning streak into the contest. History is not on the Wildcats' side as they'll be looking for just their second win in 12 lifetime meetings with the Fighting Scots. Thursday's match is the first between the teams since 2015, and Daemen's lone win in the series came nearly a decade ago (2012). The Wildcats opened the homestand with 3-1 victories over Roberts Wesleyan and St. Rose, improving to 23-9 at Lumsden Gymnasium since the start of the 2018 season.

2. CAIT'S MEOW
The Wildcats have been led all season by grad student Caitlyn Meyer. The 6-foot right side hitter, who played four seasons at Division I James Madison before coming to Daemen, has recorded 10+ kills in 13 of 15 matches this season. She continues to lead the East Coast Conference in both total kills (199) and kills per set (3.69) while also ranking fourth in hitting percentage (.284). She also ranks 28th in total kills and 44th in kills per set among the Division II national leaders. Meyer put down 14 kills in the Wildcats' win over Roberts Wesleyan last week, despite playing in only two of the four sets, and contributed a team-high 15 kills in Saturday's non-conference win over St. Rose.

3. SO HOT IT BURNS
Maggie Burns has been on fire of late for the Wildcats, and on Monday was named the East Coast Conference Player of the Week. After tallying a career-high 16 kills in a four-set loss to Southern Connecticut State on Sept. 26, Burns kept the momentum rolling and had two huge performances last week. In the wins over Roberts Wesleyan and St. Rose, Burns averaged 4.14 kills and 3.71 digs per set and recorded double-doubles in both matches. She matched her career-high set just four days prior with 16 kills against the Redhawks, despite playing in just three of the four sets. Against St. Rose, she matched her season-high with 48 attacks and contributed 13 kills and 12 digs to the Wildcat victory.

4. DOUBLE-DOUBLE YOUR DELIGHTMENT
Sophomore Olivia Alessi continues to be a double-double machine for the Wildcats. Seeing time at both setter and libero over the last few weeks, Alessi has nine double-doubles in the last 11 matches, averaging 8.88 assists and 3.16 digs per set in that span. Alessi, who has been named ECC Setter of the Week twice this season, is one of only three players in the ECC to be averaging at least 8 assists and 2.75 digs per set this season. She ranks third among the ECC leaders in assists per set (8.68). Her 159 digs are second on the team; only sophomore Jasmine Brundage, the ECC leader with 225 digs, has more.

5. UP NEXT
A big conference road trip looms as the Wildcats trek to Mercy (7-7, 3-0 ECC) and Bridgeport (7-5, 2-1 ECC) for matches this weekend.

EDINBORO SCOUTING REPORT
Edinboro is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Fighting Scots are led by veteran head coach Missy Soboleski who has won more than 450 matches in her career, including 345 during her 18-year tenure at Edinboro. Soboleski has the Fighting Scots off to a 12-1 start this season, including win in their first five PSAC matches, and they bring an eight-match winning streak into Thursday's contest vs. Daemen. Their only setback so far was a 3-2 loss to Shepherd on Sept. 17. The Fighting Scots are coming off an impressive 3-2 win over a Gannon team that was picked to win the PSAC West Division and is currently receiving votes in the AVCA Division II national poll. Edinboro is competing after opting out of the 2020 season entirely, and just seven players remain from their 2019 team that finished 16-14 overall. Senior setter Alicia Eldredge, a Third Team All-PSAC selection in 2019, headlines the returners and ranks 27th nationally in assists per set (10.37) this season. Junior outside hitter Bella Burrelli is the team's top point producer. She is averaging 3.85 kills per set (3rd in PSAC) on a .220 hitting percentage. Additional offensive production is coming from newcomers Abby Monn (2.63 kills/set) and Natalie Pallone (2.45 kills/set). Defensively, the Fighting Scots are averaging 17.74 digs per set and they rank fifth nationally in opponents hitting percentage (.100).

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. EDINBORO
Series Record: Edinboro leads 10-1
At Daemen: Edinboro leads 4-1
Current Streak: Edinboro won 3
Last Meeting: Edinboro 3, Daemen 0 (22-25, 23-25, 16-25) | Sept. 29, 2015 | at Edinboro, Pa.

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