AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's volleyball team opened its 2020 season with a 3-1 loss to Mercyhurst University this evening at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.

Daemen had its traditional fall season canceled due to the pandemic and the Wildcats are playing an abbreviated eight match schedule this spring. For consistency purposes the season will be labeled as 2020 and all results and statistics will count in the historical records.

The game marked Daemen's return to competition after a hiatus that reached 498 days. The Wildcats last competed on Nov. 22, 2019 when they suffered a 3-1 loss to the University of Bridgeport during the semifinals of 2019 East Coast Conference Tournament.

Mercyhurst improved to 1-2 with the win tonight. The Lakers are a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and are playing an independent schedule this spring.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Junior opposite Madison Kasper paced the visiting Lakers with 14 kills and 10 digs, while junior outside hitter Beth Brady added 10 kills and a team high 21 digs. Senior setter Claire Kenny dished out 33 assists and also totaled 13 digs. Senior libero Hannah Vuylsteke accounted for five of Mercyhurst's seven service aces and also totaled 17 digs.
• Senior outside hitter Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind.) led the Wildcats with 21 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
• Newcomers Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.), Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.), Jordan Martin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Dunja Masic (McHenry, Ill.) all made major contributions in their Daemen debut. Kuliga, a freshman middle blocker, totaled 10 kills, two blocks and five digs. Burns, a sophomore outside hitter who played at Urbana University as a freshman, chipped in 10 kills and 22 digs. Martin, a sophomore outside hitter who played at the University of Southern Indiana as a freshman, added seven kills and a team-high 24 digs. Masic, a freshman setter, handed out 51 assists and also registered 13 digs and four service aces.
   

SET-BY-SET SUMMARY

Set One (DC 25, MU 17) – Daemen busted out of the gates and built an 11-5 lead early on. The Lakers cut the lead to four points, 11-7, before the Wildcats scored four straight points. A service ace by Burns capped the spurt and gave Daemen a 15-7 lead. The Daemen lead was 19-11 when MU scored four-straight points, but the Wildcats closed out the set by scoring six the next eight points.

Set Two (MU 27, DC 25) – Daemen was up 3-1 early on, before the Lakers put together a 7-2 run to open up an 8-5 lead. Daemen scored the next three points and the hosts later took a 13-11 lead following a kill by sophomore Loren Alberts (Huntley, Ill.). The Lakers eventually tied the set at 14-14 and later opened up a 22-20 lead following a 5-1 run. The teams then traded points, before the Wildcats got back-to-back kills by Kuliga to tie the set at 24-24. Kasper answered with a kill for MU, before Heritz countered with a kill for Daemen. The Lakers scored the next two points to win the set and even the match at one set each.

Set Three (MU 25, DC 23) – Set three was a back and forth affair early on before the Lakers used a 6-2 run to open up a 10-6 lead. Daemen answered with four straight points to tie it at 10-10, before MU regained control with a 7-2 run. Daemen once again battled back and eventually tied the set at 19-19. MU regrouped following a time out and scored five of the next six points for a 24-20 lead. Daemen used a kill by Burns and back-to-back errors by MU to cut the lead to 24-23, but a kill by Kasper gave the Lakers a 25-23 win.

Set Four (MU 25, DC 21) – MU scored the first five points and later took a 13-8 lead following a kill by Kasper. The MU lead was seven points, 21-14, when a kill by Martin sparked the Wildcats on a 7-1 run. A kill by Heritz capped the run and pulled the hosts to within a point at 22-21. The Lakers denied Daemen the comeback and secured the set and the match by scoring the next three points. 

GAME NOTES

• Eleven players return from Daemen's 2019 team that finished 16-12 overall and 5-5 in East Coast Conference play.
• Daemen was without the services of junior setter Hannah McKee (East Highland, Calif.) and senior outside hitter Allison Post (Windsor, Calif.) due to injury. McKee led the team in assists (528) in 2019, while Post shared the team lead for kills (241) with Heritz.
• Daemen held a 59-43 advantage in total kills, but the Wildcats committed 26 attack errors—compared to just 13 attack errors for Mercyhurst. The Wildcats also held an advantage in total assists (59-42) and total digs (99-79).
• Mercyhurst has prevailed in the last two meetings between the schools and the Lakers owns a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series.
  

NEXT SERVE

The Wildcats are idle until April 3 when they host Gannon University.
 

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.