Patrick McPartland

Men's Volleyball Closes Season In The Big Apple

Wildcats to face St. Francis Brooklyn in matches Friday and Saturday

3/31/2021 12:30:00 PM

MATCH #9
DAEMEN WILDCATS (8-0) VS. ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN TERRIERS (1-1)
FRIDAY, APRIL 2
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. (DANIEL LYNCH '38 GYMNASIUM) - 4:30 PM
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19

MATCH #10
DAEMEN WILDCATS VS. ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN TERRIERS
SATURDAY, APRIL 3
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. (DANIEL LYNCH '38 GYMNASIUM) - 1 PM
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19

THE SERVE
Daemen takes an unblemished 8-0 record into the final two matches on their 2021 schedule, both coming against St. Francis Brooklyn this weekend. It marks the best start in the brief three-year history of Daemen's program. The Wildcats are one of two remaining unbeaten teams across the NCAA Division I/II ranks (also Hawaii).

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WILDCATS
1. Daemen has won 10 consecutive matches dating back to last season. It marks the longest winning streak in program history. The Wildcats have won 17 of their last 19 matches, a span that dates back to Feb. 9, 2020. Their only setbacks in that time frame were a pair of five-set defeats to nationally ranked (Division III) Wells on Feb. 29, 2020.

2. St. Francis Brooklyn represents the lone Division I opponent on Daemen's 2021 schedule. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the Wildcats have been limited to a mostly local schedule this season which includes Division III opponents Elmira, Medaille and St. John Fisher, as well as D'Youville, a program that's currently transitioning from Division III to II. Daemen is the only NCAA Division II institution north of the Mason-Dixon Line that offers men's volleyball.

3. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-1 victory over St. John Fisher on March 24. It gave the Wildcats a season sweep over the Cardinals (also a 3-2 victory March 6) who were ranked No. 12 in the NVA/AVCA Division III coaches' poll at the time of last week's match. Junior middle hitter Henry Moffitt paced the Wildcats with 11 kills, five blocks and a .563 hitting percentage, while sophomore setter Gavin Musielak totaled 22 assists.

4. Serving has been a major advantage for Daemen this season. The Wildcats lead all Division I/II teams by averaging 2.57 services aces per set. Individually, sophomore outside hitter Ryan Parker (0.57 sa/set) and sophomore middle hitter Jake Couzens (0.50 sa/set) rank sixth and eighth respectively among the national leaders.

5. The Wildcats also lead the country in opponent hitting percentage, limiting teams to just a .064 success rate on attacks. Conversely, the Wildcats are attacking at a .333 clip this season - fourth best in the country.

ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN SCOUTING REPORT
St. Francis Brooklyn is an independent member of NCAA Division I. The Terrier program is in just its second season of existence and is led by head coach Niko Lambert. The Terriers posted a 5-10 record in their inaugural season. They return nine players to the roster, including their top five attackers who all averaged at least 1.73 kills per set. Sophomore opposite David Vorfi (3.47 kills/set) and sophomore middle James Henneberry (2.25 kills/set, .413 hitting percentage) headline the group. Sophomore setter Andrew Piloto (8.70 assists/set) and sophomore libero Dominick Pikura (2.37 digs/set) also return. The Terriers opened their 2021 season Tuesday by splitting a pair of matches with Sacred Heart. After dropping the first match in four sets, the Terriers regrouped with a .203 hitting percentage and 54 total kills to salvage the split with a five-set victory. Newcomer Christian Prayer, a sophomore opposite, totaled a match-high 18 kills in the Terrier victory.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN
All-Time Series: Daemen 1-0
At St. Francis Brooklyn: 0-0
Streak: Daemen won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, St. Francis Brooklyn 0 (25-20, 25-16, 32-30) | March 7, 2020 | at Amherst, 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.

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 (including one exhibition) 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.

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