Meyer & Alessi Named To All-Tournament Team

9/20/2021 9:30:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications | (716) 839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. - Caitlyn Meyer (Clarence, N.Y.) and Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) of the Daemen women's volleyball team have been named to the All-Tournament Team for the Redhawks Tournament held on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan College this past weekend. The selections were made following a vote of the six participating head coaches.

Meyer, a 6-foot right side, and Alessi, a 5-foot-4 defensive specialist/setter, each played integral roles as the Wildcats posted a 1-2 record at the tournament. After suffering gut-wrenching five-set losses to New Haven and American International on Friday, the Wildcats rebounded with a 3-1 win Saturday over Stonehill.

Meyer continued to impress in her debut season with the Wildcats. The James Madison University transfer averaged 3.36 kills and 0.93 blocks per set and had a .283 hitting percentage across three tournament matches last weekend. She recorded her second double-double of the season against New Haven, finishing with 20 kills and a season-high 12 digs. It marked just the 17th time in Daemen's NCAA era (2015-present) that a player recorded 20 or more kills in a match, and the second time Meyer has done so this season.

Meyer added 17 kills and a season-high six blocks against AIC. She went on to lead a balanced Daemen offense vs. Stonehill, finishing with a team-high 10 kills to go with four blocks.

Meyer has totaled 148 kills through her first 10 matches with the Wildcats. She leads the East Coast Conference in total kills and kills per set (3.70) while also ranking fourth in hitting percentage (.304). Meyer has recorded at least 10 kills in nine matches this season, including the last eight in a row. She was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the Warrior Invitational hosted by Wayne State on the opening weekend of the season.

Alessi, who was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the Cavalier Invitational hosted by Walsh (Sept. 10-11), extended her double-double streak to six straight matches with three more stellar performances last weekend. She averaged 5.64 assists and 2.50 digs per set.

Alessi exclusively handled setting duties vs. New Haven and racked up 48 assists to go with 13 digs. The Wildcats made a system switch for the following two matches as Alessi split time at setter and also saw some action in the libero jersey. She totaled 14 assists and 11 digs vs. AIC, and then posted 17 assists and 11 digs in the win over Stonehill.

Like Meyer, Alessi is in her debut season at Daemen after beginning her career at Division I Duquesne. She leads the Wildcats with 321 assists and ranks third among the ECC leaders in assists per set (8.03). She is the only player in the ECC to have at least 300 assists and 100 digs so far this season.

The Wildcats (5-5) return to action Saturday, Sept. 25 when they open conference play at Queens (N.Y.).

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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.

Follow the Daemen College women's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWVB.

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