MATCH #7
DAEMEN WILDCATS (6-0) VS. D'YOUVILLE SAINTS (1-2)
MONDAY, MARCH 22
AMHERST, N.Y. (LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM) - 7:00 PM
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19 

MATCH #8
DAEMEN WILDCATS VS. ST. JOHN FISHER CARDINALS (5-2, 3-1 UVC)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24
AMHERST, N.Y. (LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM) - 7:00 PM
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19 


THE SERVE
Daemen takes an unblemished 6-0 record into the penultimate week of the season which features home matches against D'Youville and St. John Fisher. The Wildcats are off to the best start in the brief three-year history of the program, and have won 15 of their last 17 matches dating back to last season. And, since last March, Daemen has won a program-best eight consecutive matches. They'll be meeting both D'Youville and St. John Fisher for the second time this season. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats picked up an exhibition road victory at Nazareth on Saturday afternoon, outlasting the nationally ranked Golden Flyers in five sets (25-20, 25-13, 23-25, 23-25, 15-6). Zach Schneider totaled 18 kills while Ryan Parker (14 kills, 12 digs), Robert Patzer (11 kills) and Michael Krueger (44 assists) were big contributors as well. The match was scored as an exhibition contest because Division III substitution rules were used. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Daemen is off to a solid start both offensively and defensively this season. The Wildcats are attacking at a .306 clip, ninth-best in the country among Division I/II teams. They also lead the country in service aces per set (2.72) and opponent hitting percentage (.062). Individually, Zach Schneider has totaled 13 service aces in 13 sets this season and he leads the country in service aces per set (1.000). 

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 assistant coaching stops at Division III Hilbert and Division I Canisius. The Saints have played just three matches so far this season. After opening with back-to-back 3-0 setbacks to Daemen and Medaille, the Saints jumped into the win column with a 3-0 win over Medaille on March 9. Monday's match is their first since then. Joshua Roy (2.89 kills/set) and Dan Busha (2.11 kills/set) are pacing the D'Youville offense which is being run by Anthony Dean (6.56 assists/set). D'Youville's roster features just five returners and seven newcomers, including five true freshmen. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. D'YOUVILLE
All-Time Series: Daemen 3-1
At Daemen: 0-0
Streak: Daemen won 3
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, D'Youville 0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-13) | Feb. 20, 2021 | at Buffalo, N.Y.

ST. JOHN FISHER SCOUTING REPORT
St. John Fisher is a member of NCAA Division III and the United Volleyball Conference. The Cardinal program is in its fourth year of existence, and they've found early success. After going 13-16 in their inaugural 2018 season, the Cardinals went a combined 36-17 in 2019 and 2020. Head coach Stephen England has led the program from its inception. The Cardinals return 12 players from their 2020 team that posted a 15-4 record before their final nine regular season matches were shelved by the pandemic. Outside hitter Josh Bigford headlines the SJFC returners after averaging 4.00 kills per set last season - 15th best among all Division III players. Setter Paul Hackford, who ranked 12th nationally in assists per set (9.82) and defensive specialist David Cerqua, who ranked fourth nationally in digs per set (3.15), also return. The Cardinals are the No. 12 ranked team in the latest NVA/AVCA Division III coaches' poll are are coming off an impressive sweep of No. 2 New Paltz on Saturday, defeating the Hawks in a pair of five-set matches. Bigford leads the way again offensively (2.35 kills/set) with support from the likes of Matt Beiter (1.65 kills/set) and Dylan Urbanski (5.42 assists/set).

SERIES HISTORY VS. ST. JOHN FISHER
All-Time Series: St. John Fisher 2-1
At Daemen: St. John Fisher 1-0
Streak: Daemen won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, St. John Fisher 2 (22-25, 25-15, 25-17, 27-29, 15-8) | Mar. 6, 2021 | at Rochester, N.Y.

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
The Daemen men's volleyball team is in 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. 

GUESS WHO'S BACK
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. Juniors setter Michael Krueger  and sophomore outside hitter Zach Schneider headline Daemen's returning players. Krueger averaged a career-best 8.29 assists per set in 2020, and enters his third collegiate season with more than 1,100 assists in his career. Schneider made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season as he led the team in kills (196) and digs (95) while ranking 39th nationally in 3.16 kills per set. Schneider landed Daemen after originally committing to play for 2019 national champion Long Beach State. 

INDEPENDENT REPORT
Daemen was ranked second in the offtheblockblog.com Independent Teams Preseason Poll which was released in late December. Of the eight independent teams, seven have begun their seasons: Daemen (1-0), Limestone (4-4), Alderson Broaddus (2-4), Queens (N.C.) (5-8), Lincoln Memorial (3-7), D'Youville (0-2), Tusculum (0-4). Only St. Francis Brooklyn has not yet competed this season. 

THE DON
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. 

UNPRECEDENTED SEASON
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. Daemen's 2021 schedule includes 11 matches to be played between February 20 and April 9. 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.

NEXT SERVE
Daemen closes the pandemic-shortened 2021 season by visiting St. Francis Brooklyn for matches on April 2 and 3.