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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
krueger mvb vs dyouville
3
Winner Daemen Daemen 1-0
0
D'Youville DYO 0-1
Winner
Daemen Daemen
1-0
3
Final
0
D'Youville DYO
0-1
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Daemen Daemen 25 25 25 (3)
D'Youville DYO 11 17 13 (0)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | By Joe Kraus, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Wildcats Sweep Saints In Long-Awaited Return

Patzer in sync with returning veterans in Wildcat debut

BUFFALO, N.Y. – 350 days.

What a long, strange trip it had been for Daemen men's volleyball since the COVID-19 pandemic began last spring.

Saturday night, Daemen's dream of returning to the court finally became a reality as the Wildcats kicked off their pandemic-shortened 2021 season with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-13) victory over D'Youville at College Center Gymnasium.

Now in their third season of existence, this was Daemen men's volleyball's first season-opening win since the program's very first match against Alderson Broaddus back on Jan. 11, 2019.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • In his Wildcat debut, senior transfer and opposite hitter Robert Patzer (Liverpool, N.Y.) had a match-best 11 kills along with five digs. While at Wells, Patzer earned Co-Player of the Year honors in the North Eastern Athletic Conference last season.
  • Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) finished the night with eight kills and three digs.
  • Junior Michael Krueger (Canonsburg, Pa.) led all players with 20 assists.
  • Sophomore Ryan Parker (Fairport, N.Y.) contributed six kills, three digs and three assists.
  • Freshman Josh Roy led the Saints in digs (6) and kills (4) for the Saints while junior Anthony Dean had eight of the nine assists in the loss.
     
SET-BY-SET SUMMARY
Set One (DC 25, DYC 11) – Daemen came out on fire with a 7-1 run, highlighted by two aces from Couzens, as part of a 15-8 lead. D'Youville cut the deficit briefly before the Wildcats had their first double-digit lead of the night, 20-9. Daemen ended the first set with a final 5-2 run, with Parker providing the final kill.

Set Two (DC 25, DYC 17) – The Saints started set two with a 3-1 lead before the Wildcats tied the score at three following a long rally. This sparked a 5-1 run for the Wildcats for an 8-4 lead, with Schneider securing back-to-back aces in this stretch. Despite D'Youville bringing the lead down to three points (15-12), the Wildcats stayed in the driver's seat. A monstrous 10-5 run, capped by Patzer's kill on the final serve, helped the Wildcats secure the second set.

Set Three (DC 25, DYC 13) – The Wildcats saw themselves again in a 3-1 deficit before promptly turning the tables again to take a 5-3 lead. After a D'Youville kill cut Daemen's lead to 5-4, the Wildcats controlled the set with an 11-5 run (16-9). Kills once again from Parker and Patzer plus sophomore Parker Wade (Portland, Ore.) helped the Wildcats stay in front, ultimately ending in their first win of the season.

MATCH NOTES
  • Saturday's match ended 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. 
  • 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 before the start of 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Dating back to the 2020 season, Daemen has now won 13 of their last 17 matches.
  • Saturday night was the first of 10 matches presently on Daemen's 2021 schedule 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. Additional matches may be added throughout the season depending upon each program's unique circumstances.
     
NEXT SERVE
The Wildcats open the home portion of their 2021 schedule Friday, February 26 when they host Elmira.
 
 
 
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