Sam Logan kicks off her senior season by leading the Wildcats into action at the Warrior Invitational this weekend

Women's Volleyball Heads To Motown For Season-Opening Tourney

Wildcats to play four matches at Warrior Invitational hosted by Wayne State

9/2/2021 12:45:00 PM

Warrior Invitational
Location: Detroit, Mich. | Matthaei Volleyball Facility
Live Stream Broadcasts: Via wsuathletics.com All Access
Live Stats: Via wsuathletics.com | Match #1 | Match #2 | Match #3 | Match #4
More Information: Tournament Central | Spectator Policy | Tickets

Match #1
Friday, Sept. 3 - 10:00 a.m.
Daemen Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Walsh Cavaliers (0-0, 0-0 GMAC)

Match #2
Friday, Sept. 3 - 2:30 p.m.
Daemen Wildcats at Wayne State Warriors (0-0, 0-0 GLIAC)

Match #3
Saturday, Sept. 4 - 9:00 a.m.
Daemen Wildcats vs. East Strousburg Warriors (0-0, 0-0 PSAC)

Match #4
Saturday, Sept. 4 - 3:45 p.m.
Daemen Wildcats vs. West Liberty Hilltoppers (0-0, 0-0 MEC)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1. RETURN TO NORMAL
Daemen returns to their traditional fall season in 2021 after having their 2020 campaign shortened and moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wildcats will play a 27-match schedule, beginning this weekend at the Warrior Invitational hosted by Wayne State. It's the first of three straight weekends of tournament play for the Wildcats who don't make their home debut until September 30. Head coach Stephanie Albano, who has led the Wildcats to a 76-50 record since taking the reins in 2016, has perhaps her deepest roster to date with 18 total players, including 12 returners who contributed to the team's 3-3 record last spring. After starting last season with three straight setbacks, the Wildcats righted the ship with a road win at D'Youville and a pair of victories over long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan.

2. TOUGH TESTS
Daemen's four opponents this weekend combined to go 81-44 during the 2019 season - the last full season for the vast majority of NCAA Division II teams. All four won at least 17 games that season. Walsh, Wayne State and West Liberty all competed last year, albeit with schedules shortened and moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. East Stroudsburg, champions of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in 2019, will be competing for the first time in more than 600 days. To make matters more difficult, sophomore setter Dunja Masic is expected by miss this weekend's action with an injury. Masic averaged 10.52 assists per set while exclusively handling the team's setting duties last spring while veteran Hannah McKee worked her way through an injury. McKee, who averaged a team-high 8.80 assists per set in 2019, will make her return while newcomer Olivia Alessi, primarily a defensive specialist, will see time at setter as well.

3. HOMECOMING
This weekend's matches mark a homecoming of sorts for junior defensive specialist Mickaley Monahan, a native of Saline, Michigan, located just 45 miles west of Detroit. Monahan has appeared in 27 of Daemen's 34 matches over the last two seasons, including all six of the team's contests last spring. She's expected to contribute among Daemen's back row defenders again this season, along with Alessi, a transfer from Duquesne, and sophomore Jasmine Brundage. This weekend's matches mark Daemen's first in the state of Michigan since opening the 2015 season at the Laker Riverfront Classic hosted by Grand Valley State.

4. HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Daemen has been picked second in the ECC preseason coaches' poll which was released last week. The Wildcats garnered 42 points in the poll, three shy of preseason favorite Molloy, despite having the most first-place votes (4) of any team. Since joining the ECC in 2013, Daemen has placed fourth or higher in the league standings four times, including regular season titles in 2016 and 2018. Three players - graduate student Allison Post, senior Sam Logan and redshirt junior Ali Cousins - remain from Daemen's 2018 squad that finished 21-11 overall and 13-1 in ECC play while capturing the program's first ECC tournament championship and advancing to the NCAA tournament for a second time. Post, who was limited to just one match last spring due to an injury, will look to regain the form that she displayed in 2019 when she led the team in kills per set (2.84). Logan's 470 career kills are the most of anyone on the roster. She returns at the pin along with Maggie Burns and Jordan Martin who each made an impact last spring in their inaugural season with the program. On the right side, graduate transfer Caitlyn Meyer is expected to be an immediate contributor after playing four seasons at the Division I level for James Madison.

5. UP NEXT
The Wildcats return to tournament play at the Cavalier Invitational hosted Sept. 10-11 by Walsh. Daemen will meet Davenport, Notre Dame (Ohio) and Mercyhurst after trekking to North Canton, Ohio for the tournament.

WALSH CAVALIERS SCOUTING REPORT
Walsh is a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and the program is led by head coach Jayme Plummer. Now entering his third season at Walsh, Plummer has led the Cavaliers to a 29-12 record. The Cavaliers are set to return 12 players from last season's roster, a group that posted an 11-2 overall record and advanced to the semifinal round of the GMAC tournament. Six returning players earned some sort of All-GMAC honors, including three first-team selections - outside hitter Olivia Maczuzak, setter Olivia Kearns and middle blocker Grace Lindquist. Maczuzak was the team's top point producer last season, averaging 3.42 kills per set.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. WALSH
Series Record: Walsh 13-0
At Neutral Site: Walsh 6-0
Last Meeting: Walsh 3, Daemen 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-19) | Nov. 5, 2011 | at Amherst, N.Y.

WAYNE STATE WARRIORS SCOUTING REPORT
Wayne State is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Warriors are led by head coach Tim Koth who has compiled a 92-91 record across his first seven seasons with the program. The Warriors return 13 players from their 2020-21 team that posted a 4-8 record, and 18 of their 19 players hail from Michigan. Among the team's returners are their top two attackers. Redshirt seniors Lauren VanderWal (3.46 kills/set) and Taylor Wagner (3.17 kills/set) were key point producers, while Second Team All-GLIAC setter Kamryn Duffield (10.02 assists/set) also returns.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. WAYNE STATE
Series Record: 0-0
At Wayne State: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A

EAST STROUDSBURG WARRIORS SCOUTING REPORT
East Stroudsburg is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the Warriors will be competing for the first time in 638 days after opting out of the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just seven players remain from ESU's 2019 team that went 29-7, won the PSAC tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament. It marked the program's first PSAC championship since 1987 and their first NCAA tournament berth since 2000. Head coach Tricia Melfy, who was named to the position in April of 2020, will make her long-awaited debut this weekend. She'll lean on veterans Jessica Irwin (Jr., OH/DS) and Jasmine Mooney (Sr., OH/RS) - the only returning players to appear in at least 80 sets during the 2019 campaign. ESU takes on West Liberty and Walsh on the opening day of the tournament before facing Daemen to kickoff day two.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. EAST STROUDSBURG
Series Record: Daemen 1-0
At Neutral Site: Daemen 1-0
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, East Stroudsburg 0 (25-10, 25-16, 29-27) | Sept. 22, 2013 | at Springfield, Mass.

WEST LIBERTY HILLTOPPERS SCOUTING REPORT
West Liberty is a member of the Mountain East Conference. Head coach Riley Schenk guided the Hilltoppers to a 7-4 mark in her debut season, a campaign that was played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She'll have a veteran group to work with this fall as 12 players return, including First Team All-MEC selection Madison Clayton. A 6-foot-5 middle blocker, Clayton returns as a graduate student after averaging 2.85 kills and 0.95 blocks per set last season. Clayton totaled 11 kills on a .647 hitting percentage in the only prior meeting between Daemen and West Liberty, played early in the 2019 season. Sophomore defensive specialist Nyia Setla, a Second Team All-MEC and MEC Freshman Team selection, also returns. The Hilltoppers take on East Stroudsburg and Wayne State on Friday, and will face Walsh on Saturday prior to their match with Daemen.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. WEST LIBERTY
Series Record: West Liberty 1-0
At Neutral Site: West Liberty 1-0
Last Meeting: West Liberty 3, Daemen 2 (13-25, 25-16, 25-27, 25-17, 15-13) | Sept. 13, 2019 | at California, Pa.

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