AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen women's volleyball team closed their unorthodox season with a 3-0 victory (25-16, 25-14, 25-20) tonight over visiting Roberts Wesleyan at Lumsden Gymnasium. It marked the Wildcats' second win this season against their long-standing rivals from Rochester, and their 12th consecutive win in the series. It ranks as Daemen's longest active winning streak against any single opponent.

The Wildcats, who had a doubleheader at Clarion scrapped last Saturday due to COVID-19 protocols, wrapped up the shortened season with an even 3-3 record. It also marked the season finale for the Redhawks, their record falling to 2-2 with the loss. The NCAA allowed teams to play countable seasons this spring following the cancellation of their traditional fall campaigns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

SENIOR SALUTE
Daemen seniors Ali Greenwood (North Aurora, Ill.), Jenn Heritz (Granger, Ind.) and Tirzah Peters (Amherst, N.Y.) were recognized in a pre-match ceremony to commemorate the final match of their respective careers. All three players have been key contributors over the last four seasons, helping the Wildcats to a 51-42 overall record, the 2018 East Coast Conference regular season and tournament championships and an NCAA tournament bid. 

Greenwood, a four-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week and former team MVP, closed her career with 1,190 digs in 88 matches. She finishes her career with a 3.79 digs-per-set average, good for eighth-best in program history. 

Both Heritz and Peters are past All-ECC selections (Heritz in 2019, Peters in 2018). Heritz has averaged 2.43 kills per set with a .233 hitting percentage in her career, totaling 662 kills in 81 matches. She ranks ninth in program history in kills per set. Peters has averaged 1.82 kills and 0.61 blocks per set with a .243 hitting percentage, appearing in 75 matches and totaling 414 kills.

"Given the weird year, this day seems extra special," said Daemen head coach Stephanie Albano. "Ali, Jenn and Tirzah have played such an integral role in moving this program forward. I'm so happy that they all got an opportunity to finish out their careers with the matches we've had this spring. They are great people and we will miss them all so much next year."

HOW IT HAPPENED
An early 8-1 Daemen run pushed the Wildcats out to 10-4 lead that they would never look back from in the opening set. The advantage ballooned to 17-8 following a Wildcat service ace and the Redhawks were never able to get closer than seven points in the remainder of the set. Daemen powered down 16 kills and hit .440 in the set while limiting the Redhawks to just four kills. 

The second set was a bit more back and forth at the outset. With the score knotted at 13-13, Daemen embarked on a 12-1 run to take the set. The spurt featured seven unanswered points with Allison Post (Windsor, Calif.), Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.) and Jordan Martin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) making key offensive plays. 

After Daemen jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the third set, the Redhawks came storming back with their best spurt of the match, an 8-1 run that put them ahead 13-12. After trading a few points, the Wildcats got rolling on the serve of Martin for the second straight set, scoring six in a row to take a 19-14 edge. The Redhawks got within 20-16 and later fended off a match point before succumbing on a kill by Martin. 

The Wildcats racked up 47 kills and attacked at a .356 clip for the match. The Redhawks managed just 18 kills and a .068 hitting percentage. 

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Heritz closed out a spectacular senior campaign by totaling a match-high 12 kills on just 17 attempts (.471 hitting percentage). She finished the season with a team-high 82 kills, averaging 3.90 kills per set. The Indiana native posted 10+ kills in five of six matches this season. 
• Post, who shared the team lead in kills in 2019, saw her first action of the spring after working her way back from an injury. She finished with six kills on a .333 hitting percentage and added five digs.
• Kuliga, Peters and Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.) all chipped in with five kills apiece. Logan added three service aces.
• Freshman Dunja Masic (McHenry, Ill.) handled the setting duties once again and finished with a match-high 39 assists.
• Martin led the way defensively with eight digs, while Greenwood tallied six in her career finale.
• Emily Rowlison, Miranda Rich and Laura Amaya totaled four kills apiece to lead RWC.

GAME NOTES

• Daemen now leads the all-time series with RWC 32-21 and the Wildcats have won 22 of the last 26 meetings dating back to 2008. Roberts Wesleyan's last win in the series came Oct. 15, 2014.
• Daemen is set to return 13 players next fall, including seniors Georgia Wicker and Allison Post who will exercise an additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19. 

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.