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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
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mvb medaille action
Daemen men's volleyball moved to 3-0 on the season with a Friday night win at Medaille.
3
Winner Daemen Daemen 3-0
1
Medaille Med 1-1
Winner
Daemen Daemen
3-0
3
Final
1
Medaille Med
1-1
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Daemen Daemen 25 25 24 25 (3)
Medaille Med 16 19 26 19 (1)

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

Wildcats Gallop Past Mavericks In Four-Set Match

Daemen moves to 3-0 for first time in program history

BUFFALO, N.Y. – As it's been said in the past, three is a magic number. And on Friday night, Daemen men's volleyball continued to find that old magic from last season.
 
The Wildcats defeated cross-town rival Medaille College in four sets (25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 25-19) in a contest held at the Sullivan Center. 

With the victory, Daemen moves to 3-0 overall and 1-0 as a Division I Independent team this season, their best start in program history. This was also the fourth all-time meeting with the Mavericks since the series began on Feb. 9, 2019 (Daemen leads series, 4-0.) The Wildcats totaled 47 kills, 13 service aces and had a .356 hitting percentage tonight, and the program has now won 12 of their last 14 matches dating back to last season. 

NCAA Division III and Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference affiliate Medaille dropped to 1-1 on the season. 

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Sophomore middle hitter Jake Couzens (Hamburg, N.Y.) led the Daemen offense, finishing with a new career-high nine kills along with a .692 hitting percentage and two serving aces
  • Sophomore setter Gavin Musielak (Eden, N.Y.) finished with a game-high 35 assists.
  • Sophomores outside hitters Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) and Ryan Parker (Fairport, N.Y.) chipped in eight kills apiece. Parker also added six digs and four service aces tonight.
  • Senior opposite Robert Patzer (Liverpool, N.Y.) finished with seven kills and two digs.
  • Malachi Jackson paced the Mavericks with 12 kills.
SET-BY-SET SUMMARY
Set One (Daemen 25, Medaille 16) – Daemen erased a 5-1 Medaille lead to knot the score up at 5. The teams exchanged ties and leads no greater than two points for the majority of the set due to attack and serving errors. Daemen, however, found some rhythm offensively and closed the set on a 7-1 run as Schneider collected three service aces in this stretch.

Set Two (Daemen 25, Medaille 19) – Daemen continued their momentum and started the second set on a 9-0 run behind Parker's serving, who collected back-to-back-to-back serving aces in this stretch. Daemen led 21-10 in the set before the Mavericks went on an 8-0 stretch to make the score, 21-18. A pair of kills from Couzens and a serving ace from sophomore outside hitter Parker Wade (Portland, Ore.) highlighted Daemen's finish in the set.

Set Three (Medaille 26, Daemen 24) – Daemen led this set, 13-10, before Medaille took control to take a 16-15 lead. On the next serve, Daemen tied the set at 16 with Patzer's kill, setting the tone for the frantic finish in this set. While Daemen was able to tie the score seven more times down the stretch, the Mavericks provided the final blow as back-to-back kills from Jake Siwy and Chris Pauline Jr. prevented a three-set sweep and force a fourth set.   
 
Set Four (Daemen 25, Medaille 19) – Daemen jumped out to a 10-5 lead before Medaille cut into the lead again, 10-9. Daemen saw their four-point lead (14-10) erased as three kills from Jackson tied things up at 14. But behind timely kills from Schneider, Parker and Patzer, the Wildcats ended the set on an 11-5 run. Parker secured the four-set series win for Daemen with his final serving ace of the night on the match point (25-19).



MATCH NOTES
  • Tonight's match was the third of 11 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.
  • Daemen's program 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 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.
  • 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.

NEXT SERVE
The Wildcats take a trip to Rochester to face St. John Fisher College on Saturday, March 6. 

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 programs. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.
 
 
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