Geoff Schneider

Women's Volleyball Competes For Conference Title Saturday

Top-seeded Wildcats host second-seeded Bridgeport with first serve set for 3 p.m.

11/20/2021 1:39:00 AM

EAST COAST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL ROUND
(#1 seed) Daemen Wildcats (21-7, 12-0 ECC) vs. (#2 seed) Bridgeport Purple Knights (18-9, 9-3 ECC)
Saturday, Nov. 20 | 3 p.m. | Lumsden Gymnasium | Amherst, N.Y.
Watch - ECC Network
Live Stats
Tickets
Game Notes (PDF)

FINISHING MOVE
The top two seeds meet when Daemen hosts Bridgeport in the final round of the East Coast Conference Championship tournament Saturday at Lumsden Gymnasium. An automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA tournament is on the line. The ECC Championship is being hosted by Daemen for the third time and the Wildcats are seeking their second tournament crown and first since 2018. Bridgeport is in the tournament final for the ninth time since 2008 and seeking its first title since winning four-straight from 2012-15.

WE ARE THE (REGULAR SEASON) CHAMPIONS
Daemen entered the conference tournament following an unbeaten run through ECC play this season. It was 12 up, 12 down for the Wildcats who secured the first unblemished conference campaign in program history. The Wildcats, who dropped only one set in conference play all season, clinched their third ECC regular season title with a 3-0 defeat of Mercy on Nov. 6. Daemen previously won the regular season conference title in 2016 and 2018. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of those seasons and will be looking to do the same in 2021.

ON A ROLL
Daemen has won 17 of their last 19 contests, including the last eight in a row. It marks the Wildcats' longest winning streak since rattling off 15 consecutive victories during the 2016 season. It's also the third longest active streak among all East Region teams, trailing American International (19 straight wins) and Holy Family (11 straight wins) – the No. 1 seeds in the respective NE-10 and CACC tournaments this week. Daemen has reached the 20-win plateau for the 12th time in program history and for the third time as an NCAA Division II program.

CENTURY MARK
Daemen head coach Stephanie Albano stands just three wins shy of 100 for her career. She would become only the second coach in program history to reach the century mark, joining Mark Parisi who led the program to a 151-178 record from 2005-14. Earlier this season, Albano passed Western New York coaching icon Sally Kus for second on the program's all-time wins list. Kus led the program to a 92-54 record from 1998-2001 before moving on to Division I Buffalo.

POLL POSITION
The NCAA published its third regional rankings of the 2021 season this week and the Wildcats are up one spot to No. 4. The East Region is comprised of teams from the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10 Conference and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the regional rankings are used to determine at-large bids and seeds in the East Regional portion of the NCAA Tournament. This week's regional poll is as follows...

1. American International (24-6)
2. Stonehill (20-8)
3. Holy Family (23-3)
4. DAEMEN (20-7)
5. Jefferson (23-4)
6. Bentley (14-11)
7. New Haven (20-8)
8. Southern Connecticut State (23-9)
9. Saint Ansel (19-7)
10. Adelphi (17-11)

BATTLE TESTED
While Daemen may have cruised through ECC play this season, the Wildcats have played nine games against teams included in their respective regional rankings, posting a 4-5 record. The Wildcats own a win over Stonehill, the No. 2 ranked team in the East – one of only five in-region losses for the Skyhawks. Daemen is also 3-1 against the Atlantic Region's ranked teams with wins over No. 4 Edinboro, No. 7 East Stroudsburg and No. 10 West Liberty.

ECC TOURNAMENT TICKETS
Tickets for each game of the ECC tournament can be purchased in advance at www.eccsports.org/tickets. Ticket prices will be $8 for general admission and $4 for senior citizens, students, and children ages 2-5. Children under two will be admitted for free. In addition, cash will not be accepted so those wishing to purchase tickets at the venue must still use the ECC ticket website to purchase them (QR code to scan with a smartphone will be available at the gate).

FORT MEYER
Grad student Caitlyn Meyer has made an immediate impact in her first and only season with the Wildcats, finishing the regular season as the ECC's leader in kills per set (3.52) as well as Daemen's leader in total kills (320). She's the first Daemen player with more than 300 kills in a season since Meghan Ballou in 2017. A four-time ECC Player of the Week selection, Meyer has tallied 10+ kills in 21 of 28 matches and also ranks fourth in hitting percentage (.291) and 10th in blocks per set (0.62) among the ECC leaders. A Western New York native, Meyer is competing in a fifth collegiate season awarded to players by the NCAA due to COVID-19. She played the first four seasons of her career at the Division I level for James Madison.

JAS-ERCISE
Sophomore Jasmine Brundage has emerged as one of the premier defensive players in the ECC this season. A six-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection, Brundage is the ECC leader in total digs (415) and digs per set (4.28). Brundage has recorded 10+ digs in 24 of 28 matches and leads the Wildcats in sets played (97 of a possible 97). If the season ended today, Brundage would hold the second-highest digs-per-set average of Daemen's NCAA Division II era, trailing only Ali Greenwood's 4.45 average in 2018.

SETTING THE TABLE
Sophomore Olivia Alessi has made quite the adjustment in her first season with the Wildcats. Recruited primarily as a defensive specialist, Alessi transitioned to setter early in the season as the Wildcats were dealt with a rash of injuries at the position. All she's done since then is average 9.14 assists per set (second in the ECC) while running the league's second most efficient offense. Alessi's 804 assists are the most for a Daemen player since Isa McCaffrey totaled 1,097 during the 2018 season. Alessi has six matches this season with at least 40 assists and has also recorded a team-high 11 double-doubles. She's been named the ECC Setter of the Week three times, while teammate Dunja Masic has earned the award twice. Since the conference began recognizing a Setter of the Week in 2014, Daemen is the only team with multiple recipients in the same season.

UP THE MIDDLE
Daemen has gotten solid, perhaps unheralded, play out of their starting middle blockers this season. Junior Loren Alberts and sophomore Vanessa Kuliga are combining for 3.62 kills and 1.21 blocks per set. Both players own a hitting percentage above .300 hitting percentage, good for top three rankings among the ECC leaders. Kuliga is a three-time ECC weekly honoree (one-time Defensive Player of the Week, two-time Rookie of the Week).

ON THE OUTSIDE
Senior Sam Logan and junior Maggie Burns have both produced from the outside hitter position for the Wildcats this season. Logan ranks second on the team in fifth in the conference for kills per set (2.96). She's been especially strong across the last 19 matches, totaling 156 of her 219 kills in that span. Logan is also producing from the service line where she leads the ECC in aces per set (0.51). Burns is chipping in 2.26 kills and 2.70 digs per set. The Kentucky native is in her second season with Daemen after transferring from Urbana where she earned Mountain East Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2019.

WRAP IT UP
Daemen closed out the regular season with a 3-0 non-conference road win over Le Moyne on Nov. 11. Grad student Caitlyn Meyer powered down 15 kills – one shy of her season-high for a three-set match – to lead the Wildcats. Olivia Alessi returned to action after missing the prior two matches and recorded a match-high 29 assists to go with nine digs. Daemen trailed only once in the entire match, a 1-0 deficit to start the second set. They built leads of 15-5 (first set), 16-10 (second set) and 18-5 (third set) that Le Moyne was never able to overcome.

AWARDS SEASON
Daemen put its stamp on the ECC's major awards and all-conference teams which were announced just prior to the start of the conference tournament. Caitlyn Meyer was named the ECC Player of the Year, while Jasmine Brundage earned ECC Libero of the Year honors. Both players were named to the All-ECC First Team and were joined by setter Olivia Alessi. All-ECC Second Team selections included middle blocker Loren Alberts and outside hitters Sam Logan and Maggie Burns. The six selections for Daemen marks the most by one team since the ECC expanded the all-conference team from 12 to 14 members in 2015. In addition, head coach Stephanie Albano was named the ECC Coach of the Year. It marks the third time in Albano's six-year tenure that she's been selected by her peers for the accolade.

BRIDGEPORT SCOUTING REPORT
Bridgeport is led by veteran head coach Gary Mullin who has led the Purple Knights to a 137-71 record in seven seasons at the helm. Mullin has UB sitting at 18-9 overall with wins in 10 of their last 11 contents. Their lone recent setback came on Nov. 7 when they dropped a 3-0 decision to Daemen at Lumsden Gymnasium. Bridgeport finished second in the ECC standings with a 9-3 conference mark.

UB's roster includes more freshman (7) than players returning from their 2019 team (5) which advanced to the final round of both the ECC and East Region Championships, finishing with a 26-8 record. The Purple Knights did not compete during the 2020-21 academic year due to COVID-19.

Grad student Amanda Hennemann, the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, headlines the UB returners and leads the team with 334 digs (third in ECC). Freshman Paola Hernandez has burst onto the scene as UB's offensive ace and was recently named the ECC Rookie of the Year. She leads the conference with 349 total kills and ranks second in kills per set (3.36). Additional offensive production is coming from senior Emily Burford (2.72 kills/set), freshman Melanie Smith (2.52 kills/set) and senior Amanda Keller (2.26 kills/set, ECC-best .365 hitting percentage). Freshman setter Jaden Drollinger was named the ECC Setter of the Year and leads the conference in assists per set (10.35).

As a team, Bridgeport is dangerous from the serving line as they lead the ECC with 218 service aces. The Purple Knight also boast the most efficient offense in the league, producing a team hitting percentage of .235.

Bridgeport advanced to the final round of the ECC Championship with a 3-1 victory (25-16, 25-27, 25-23, 25-22) over third-seeded Mercy. Four players recorded double-figure kills, led by Hernandez (18 kills, 11 digs) and Burford (15 kills, 17 digs) who each posted double-doubles.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. BRIDGEPORT
Series Record: Bridgport leads 10-8
At Daemen: Daemen leads 5-4
In ECC Tournament: Tied 1-1
Current Streak: Daemen won 2
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Bridgeport 0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-16) | Nov. 7, 2021 | at Amherst, N.Y.

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Daemen and Bridgeport are meeting in conference tournament play for the third time? Daemen scored a 3-1 semifinal win over Bridgeport en route to the 2018 championship. Bridgeport exacted revenge with a 3-1 win in a 2019 semifinal matchup.

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