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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
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schneider mvb scrimmage
Lockport native Zach Schneider, who led Daemen in kills and digs in 2020, returns for his sophomore season

Men's Volleyball Set For Long-Awaited Season Opener

Wildcats Visit D'Youville For First Game Action In 350 Days

2/19/2021 3:00:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications | (716) 839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu
MATCH #1
DAEMEN WILDCATS (0-0) VS. D'YOUVILLE SAINTS (0-0)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20
BUFFALO, N.Y. (COLLEGE CENTER GYMNASIUM) - 6:00 PM
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19


THE SERVE: 10 THINGS TO KNOW
1. Daemen gets its long-awaited 2021 season underway Saturday when they make the short trip across Buffalo to face Western New York rival D'Youville at the College Center Gymnasium. 
2. Saturday's match will end a 350-day gap between contests for the Wildcats. Daemen last competed on March 7, 2020, defeating St. Francis Brooklyn 3-0, before the final 10 matches of the team's 2020 season were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
3. Daemen is entering its third season of existence. After posting a 6-17 overall record in their inaugural 2019 season, the Wildcats doubled their win total in 2020, finishing 12-7 overall despite having more than a third of their schedule wiped out due to the pandemic. The 2020 season included home matches against high profile opponents like UCLA, Pepperdine and Harvard, as well as a seven-match winning streak covering more than three weeks in February. Included in that winning streak was a thrilling come-from-behind five-set victory over fellow Division II independent Lincoln Memorial. 
4. Daemen was ranked second in the Off the Block Independent Teams Preseason Poll which was released in late December. Of the eight independent teams, five have already begun their seasons: Lincoln Memorial (3-7), Queens (N.C.) (4-8), Limestone (3-4), Tusculum (0-4) and Alderson Broaddus (2-3). Only Daemen, St. Francis Brooklyn and D'Youville have yet to compete this season. D'Youville was ranked eighth in the poll.
5. Head coach Don Gleason returns for his third season at the helm of the Wildcats. The Western New York native has been on Daemen's staff since 2015, working first as an assistant with the women's volleyball program. Before arriving at Daemen, Gleason made assistant coaching stops at Stony Brook, Buffalo, Yale and Medaille and Southern Cal. 
6. The Wildcats return 13 players who have been with the program for at least a year, including four juniors who came in with the program's inception. One of the juniors is setter Michael Krueger who has tallied 1,123 assists over his first two collegiate seasons. He averaged a career-best 8.29 assists per set and finished second on the team 81 digs in 2020. 
7. Sophomore outside hitter Zach Schneider headlines the team's returning attackers. After originally committing to play for 2019 national champion Long Beach State, Schneider landed at Daemen following a re-opening of his recruitment. He made an immediate impact as he led the team in kills (196) and digs (95). He ranked 39th nationally by averaging 3.16 kills per set and posted 10+ kills in 12 matches. 
8. Daemen scored a big signing in the transfer market last summer, adding 6-foot-6 opposite hitter Robert Patzer who found great success while playing at Wells. Patzer averaged 3.33 kills per set en route to earning Co-Player of the Year honors in the North Eastern Athletic Conference last season. 
9. Daemen has made the determination that players and coaches will be masked during all practices and matches. This follows a recommendation from the NCAA. Universal masking is expected to be a norm for all collegiate men's volleyball teams this season. 
10. At present, Daemen's 2021 schedule includes 10 matches to be played between February 20 and April 3. The schedule was developed with the health and safety of the team's Tier 1 personnel in mind. The NCAA defines Tier 1 personnel as all student-athletes, coaches, managers, athletic trainers and other support staff. The team's Tier 1 personnel will undergo regular COVID-19 surveillance testing in accordance with NCAA guidelines. Daemen's match schedule is of course subject to change. A positive result during surveillance testing for Daemen or an opponent may result in game postponements and/or cancellations. Stay tuned to daemenwildcats.com for the most up to date information regarding the team's upcoming schedule. Additional matches may be added throughout the season depending upon each program's unique circumstances.


D'YOUVILLE SCOUTING REPORT
  • D'Youville is in its first season transitioning from NCAA Division III to Division II.
  • The Saints are led by second-year head coach Chris Krueger who joined the program after previous stops at Division III Hilbert and Division I Canisius.
  • The Saints are coming off a 2-16 campaign and will be competing for the first time since Mar. 6, 2020 when they downed SUNY Potsdam 3-0. 
  • D'Youville returns just five players from their 2020 team, including their top three attackers. Sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Dan Busha headlines the group after posting a team-best 2.98 kills per set last season. 
  • Seniors Ali Khadra (1.43 kills/set, 0.73 blocks/set) and Mitch Mason (2.95 digs/set) and junior Anthony Dean (1.32 kills/set) also return. 
  • Of the team's seven newcomers, five are true freshmen. 


SERIES HISTORY VS. D'YOUVILLE
All-Time Series: Daemen 2-1
At D'Youville: Daemen 2-1
Streak: Daemen won 2
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, D'Youville 0 | Jan. 26, 2020 | at Buffalo, N.Y.

NEXT SERVE
The Wildcats open the home portion of their 2021 schedule Friday, February 26 when they host Elmira. 

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