AMHERST, N.Y. – In the annual Team IMPACT celebration match, the Daemen University women's volleyball team earned their fifth straight East Coast Conference victory this afternoon in a 3-1 (25-15, 14-25, 25-22, 25-19) win over the Mercy Mavericks in a battle between the top two teams in the ECC. The Wildcats have now won an impressive 17-straight conference matches.
Today's 14-25 second-set loss marks the first time Daemen has lost a set in regular season conference play since September 30, 2021. The Wildcats own a 51-2 record in sets during ECC regular season play dating back to the start of the 2021 season.
Daemen tied Mercy in kills with 48 a piece. The Wildcats finished with a .242 hitting percentage on the day. Senior outside hitter
Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.) led the Wildcats in kills (14) and digs (13) on the day.
The Wildcats move to 12-3 on the season, and a perfect 5-0 in ECC play. Daemen has won eight home games this season. Mercy moves to 8-4, and 2-2 in ECC.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Burns led the team offensively for the eighth time this season. She finished with 14 kills (3.5 kills/set) for a .300 hitting percentage. Burns added an ace and 13 digs (3.25 digs/set) to earn her sixth double-double of the season.
- Junior middle blocker Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.) also tallied double-digit kills, finishing with 10 kills (2.5 kills/set) for a .280 hitting percentage. She posted multiple aces for the fifth time this season (2), and added an assited block.
- Junior setter Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) totaled 35 assists (8.75 assists/set), along with two aces, two solo blocks and four digs to her stat line on the day.
- Graduate student Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.) nearly finished with a double-double, earning eight kills and nine digs on the day. Logan finished with two service aces.
- Sophomore middle hitter Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.) tallied six kills (2 kills/set) and just one error to finish with a .357 hitting percentage. She added a season-high four solo blocks.
- Outside hitter Giselle Giraud earned a .278 hitting percentage with her five-kill effort. She added a solo block in the win.
- Senior outside hitter Jordan Martin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) totaled four kills for a .357 hitting percentage, a solo block and an assisted block during the one set she played.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Armstrong and Martin's .357 hitting percentages led all hitters on the day.
- The Wildcats totaled nine aces this afternoon, averaging 2.25 aces/set. Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.), Kuliga, Logan and Alessi all tallied two aces a piece in the victory.
- Logan totaled five of Daemen's 13 third-set kills.
- The Wildcats and Mavericks tied with 48 kills on the day.
GAME NOTES
- This was the 17th meeting between the Wildcats and the Mavericks. Daemen has won the last three meetings.
- Daemen has won seven straight matches this season.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats head across town to D'Youville on Saturday, October 15th in a 1 PM ECC match.
Daemen University 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.
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