Senior outside hitter Sam Logan is averaging a team-best 3.50 kills per set over the last 12 matches

Women's Volleyball Hosts D'Youville Tuesday Night

Wildcats looking for record 10th straight ECC victory

11/1/2021 2:15:00 PM

Match #24
Daemen Wildcats (16-7, 9-0 ECC) vs. D'Youville Saints (3-19, 2-7 ECC)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 2
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
Live Stream: Via ECC Network
Live Stats: Via daemenwildcats.com

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1. HOME COOKING
The Daemen Wildcats start a three-match homestand Tuesday evening when they host crosstown rival D'Youville. The Wildcats will go for the season sweep of the Saints, a program that is competing in the East Coast Conference for the first time while making its transition from Division III to Division II. Daemen has won six straight home matches, including a perfect 5-0 mark so far this season. The Wildcats are 26-9 in all home matches since the start of the 2018 season, and have posted a 24-5 record in home conference matches since 2016.

2. GOING STREAKING
Daemen heads into the penultimate week of the regular season having won 12 of their last 14 matches. At 9-0 in conference play, the Wildcats have matched their best start since joining the ECC in 2013. The Wildcats last started 9-0 in 2018 when they went on to finish 13-1, capturing the league's regular season title before adding the conference tournament crown as well. Since the Daemen volleyball program was established in 1997, the team has never completed an unbeaten conference season.

3. PLAYOFF PICTURE
Daemen became the first ECC team to clinch a conference tournament berth following their 3-0 victory over Queens (N.Y.) on Oct. 22. The Wildcats sit alone in first place in the ECC standings, firmly in control of the race for the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. A win Tuesday against D'Youville would put the Wildcats one win away from achieving that goal. The ECC Championship tournament will feature the top four teams in the final regular season standings and will be hosted by the No. 1 seed. The semifinals are slated for November 19 with the final round taking place November 20. The winner of the ECC Championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

4. A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
Daemen head coach Stephanie Albano can move into sole possession of second place on the program's all-time coaching wins list with a Wildcat victory Tuesday. Albano, who was elevated to the head coaching position in 2016 after one season as an assistant, has led the Wildcats to a 92-57 record across six seasons. Daemen's 3-0 win at Roberts Wesleyan last Tuesday brought Albano into a tie with Western New York coaching legend Sally Kus who compiled a 92-54 record at Daemen (1998-2001) before leaving for the head coaching position at Division I Buffalo. Mark Parisi, the longest-tenured coach (2005-14) in program history, holds the all-time wins mark at 151.

5. UP NEXT
The Wildcats wrap up the ECC portion of their 2021 schedule with back-to-back conference matches this weekend as Mercy (Saturday, Nov. 6) and Bridgeport (Sunday, Nov. 7) come to Lumsden Gymnasium.

D'YOUVILLE SCOUTING REPORT
D'Youville is in its second of a three-year process as the program transitions from NCAA Division III to Division II. The Saints, led by head coach Kyle Shanley, are playing a full East Coast Conference schedule for the first time. Shanley is in his first full season with the program after guiding the Saints through the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign last spring.

Eight players return to the roster, six of whom remain listed as freshmen due to the additional season of eligibility granted due to COVID-19. All told, 14 of the 17 players on D'Youville's roster are listed as freshmen.

The Saints have found tough sledding so far this season with just three wins in their first 22 contests. The Saints recorded their first-ever ECC win by defeating Roberts Wesleyan 3-0 on Oct. 5. They added a conference win, also by a 3-0 final, over Queens on Oct. 23.

Outside hitter Eve Musielak (1.74 kills/set) and right side hitter Nathalya Rocha (1.60 kills/set) are pacing the Saints offensively. Setter Emma Wlostowski ranks fifth in both service aces (0.46) and assists (6.69) per set among the ECC leaders. Defensive specialist Samantha Killane ranks second in both total digs (271) and digs per set (4.11).

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. D'YOUVILLE
Series Record: Daemen leads 5-0
At Daemen: Daemen leads 2-0
Current Streak: Daemen won 5
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, D'Youville 0 (25-10, 25-13, 25-23) | Oct. 13, 2021 | at Buffalo, N.Y.

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