Women's Volleyball | 11/10/2022 3:49:00 PM
EAST COAST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Nov. 11-12 | Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
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Semifinal #1 - Friday, Nov. 11 - 5 PM
(#1 seed) Daemen Wildcats (18-5, 10-0 ECC) vs. (#4 seed) Mercy Mavericks (13-6, 6-4 ECC)
Semifinal #2 - Friday, Nov. 11 - 7:30 PM
(#2 seed) Queens Knights (12-12, 6-4 ECC) vs. (#3 seed) Molloy Lions (15-10, 6-4 ECC)
Finals - Saturday, Nov. 12 - 5 PM
Daemen/Mercy vs. Queens/Molloy
POSTSEASON, HERE WE COME
The postseason runs through Lumsden Gymnasium for the second straight year. The top-seeded Daemen University women's volleyball team hosts the East Coast Conference Championship tournament this weekend, and will open up the tournament on Friday, Nov. 11 in their semifinal match against fourth-seeded Mercy at 5 PM. The winner advances to Saturday's 5 PM tournament final to play the winner of the second semifinal match between second-seed Queens and third-seed Molloy. The Wildcats are looking for their second straight tournament crown.
REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
For the second straight season,
Daemen finished with a perfect regular season record in ECC play. The Wildcats earned the program's first ever undefeated ECC record last season, and followed it up this past Saturday with a 3-2 win over Mercy to wrap up the season with another 10-0 trip through conference play in head coach
Eli Irizarry's first season at the helm. Daemen has won 23 straight ECC matches since the end of the 2019 season. The Wildcats topped Roberts Wesleyan on Senior Night on Oct. 26 to clinch the regular season ECC title for the second straight year, and fourth time since 2016.
REGIONALLY RANKED
The NCAA released its second
regional rankings of the 2022 season this week, and Daemen enters the postseason as the No. 3 ranked team in the East Region. The East Region is comprised of teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the regional rankings are used to determine at-large bids and seeds in the East Regional portion of the NCAA Tournament. This week's regional poll is as follows, with the records reflecting in-region record...
1. American International (20-2)
2. Bentley (20-2)
3. DAEMEN (17-4)
4. Adelphi (18-4)
5. Saint Anselm (16-6)
6. Thomas Jefferson (21-6)
7. Southern New Hampshire (13-4)
8. Molloy (15-8)
9. New Haven (15-7)
10. Mercy (13-6)
BURNS, BABY BURNS
Senior outside hitter
Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.) has put together her best season yet as a Wildcat. Going into the postseason, Burns is tied for the most kills on the team with 213, averaging a team-high 3.49 kills per set on the season with a .240 hitting percentage. On top of being a force on the outside, Burns does just as much when the ball is returned, ranking third on the team in total digs (197) to average 3.23 digs per set. She ranks fifth on the team with 18 service aces on the season, and has contributed 14 total blocks. She has tallied eight double-double's (kills-digs) on the season, picking up her eighth in Saturday's ECC regular season finale against Mercy. Burns leads the ECC in kills per set, and is tied for third with Logan for total kills in the league. She has earned ECC Player of the Week three times this season, with the last honor coming on Monday for her 27-kill, 25-dig performance over two matches.
SLAMMIN' SAM
In her final season in a Daemen uniform,
Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.) has made the most of her time. Starting in 22 of Daemen's 23 matches on the season, the graduate student is tied with Burns with 213 kills to average 3.0 kills per set, and ranks second on the team in digs with 224 (3.15 digs per set), trailing only junior libero
Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.), who totals 240 digs on the year. Logan has amassed 10 double-doubles this season, including a massive outing at D'Youville on Oct. 15 where she hammered 15 kills and picked up a career-high 22 digs. A staple in the Wildcat offense, Logan has notched double-digit kills in 12 of the 22 matches she's played in. She ranks third on the team in service aces with 22 on the season, and has added 14 blocks on the season. Logan earned ECC Player of the Week once this season, and is 74 kills away from surpassing 1,000 career kills.
BLOCK PARTY
Daemen's duo of middles in junior blocker
Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.) and sophomore hitter
Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.) has proven to be just what the doctor ordered this season. The pair combines has combined for 64 of the Wildcats' 108 total blocks, with Kuliga recording her 100th career block this season and leading the way with 36 blocks on the year (0.55 blocks/set) and Armstrong totaling 28 blocks (0.42 blocks/set) on the year. Kuliga and Armstrong are two of Daemen's five players to post triple-digit kills on the season, with Kuliga totaling 134 kills to average 2.06 kills/set, and Armstrong posting 118 kills (1.79 kills/set). Kuliga leads the team with 30 service aces on the season, and ranks second in the ECC with her .299 hitting percentage on the year.
NEIGHBORLY LOVE
East Aurora, N.Y. natives
Olivia Alessi and
Jasmine Brundage have known each other for practically their entire lives, and on the court, the juniors shine individually as much as they do as a team. The 2021 ECC Setter of the Year and 2021 Libero of the Year have put together solid junior campaigns. Alessi leads the team with 465 assists on the season, averaging 9.12 assists per set, and ranks second on the team behind Kuliga with 24 service aces, while ranking fifth on the team in digs (137). Alessi has been named ECC Setter of the Week three times this season for her efforts. Brundage leads the way defensively, scooping up 240 digs on the season to average 3.81 digs per set. She has picked up ECC Defensive Player of the Week twice, with the last honor coming on Monday for her 42-dig performance in the final two matches of the regular season last weekend.
SCOUTING THE MERCY MAVERICKS
The Mercy Mavericks are coming into Friday's matchup with Daemen after being ranked No. 10 in the East Region on Wednesday. Through 19 games this season, Mercy has posted an 13-6 overall record, and a 6-4 record in the ECC. The Mavericks have lost conference matches to Molloy, Daemen and Queens, and after losing 3-2 to Daemen in the final ECC regular season match on Saturday, Mercy comes into the ECC Championship tournament as the No. 4 seed. This season, Mercy has out-killed opponents 889-695 by an average of 12.5 kills per set compared to 9.8 from its' opponents. Senior outside hitter
Larissa Schneid leads the Mavericks' offense with 188 kills on the season, and ranks second in the ECC with 3.36 kills per set, behind only Daemen's
Maggie Burns (3.49). Junior middle blocker
Anyelainy Vizcaino Araujo just trails Schneid with 170 kills (2.74 kills/set). Senior
Julia Pomerleau tops the ECC with her .372 hitting percentage. Defensively, senior middle blocker
Stephanie Lankhorst leads the team at the net, totaling 54 of the team's 92 blocks on the year. Senior setter
Yarianne Gonzalez leads the league in assists per set with 9.94, with Daemen's
Dunja Masic ranking second behind her with 9.45 and
Olivia Alessi trailing Masic with 8.94 assists per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: 15-3 Daemen
Home Record: 9-0 Daemen
Current Streak: Daemen won 4
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Mercy 2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 26-24, 15-12) | Nov. 5, 2022, Amherst, N.Y.
SCOUTING THE QUEENS KNIGHTS
The Knights come into the postseason with a 12-12 record on the year, and are the No. 2 seed in the playoffs after a 6-4 record in ECC regular season play. Two Queens players have surpassed 200 kills on the season, with three-time ECC Rookie of the Week in freshman outside hitter
Kendall Conrad leading the Knights with 219 kills on the season to average 2.52 kills/set, and senior middle blocker
Alexis Deodat just behind her with 205 (2.38 kills/set). Sophomore
Christina Franco tallies 198 kills (2.57 kills/set). Setter
Despina Boudouris totals 707 assists (7.86 assists/set), and has picked up ECC Setter of the Week three times this season. Defensively, freshman libero
Ryann Frontera leads the team with 401 digs on the season to average 5.08 digs/set, while middle blocker
Lindsay Osterhoudt and Deodat combine for 123 of Queens' 192 total blocks, with Deodat tallying 63 blocks to Osterhoudt's 60 on the season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. QUEENS
Series Record: 14-4 Daemen
Home Record: 8-1 Daemen
Current Streak: Daemen won 8
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Queens 1 (25-22, 25-11, 23-25, 25-14) | Oct. 22, 2022, Flushing, N.Y.
SCOUTING THE MOLLOY LIONS
The 15-10 Molloy Lions come into the ECC Championship after posting a 6-4 regular season conference record to earn the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Lions have matched up evenly with their opponents throughout the season, narrowly out-killing them 967 to 905 while averaging 11.4 kills a game. Molloy is led offensively by junior outside hitter
Kiarra Roth, the only Lion to surpass 200 kills on the season (231) and averages 3.0 kills/set.
Kathleen Doherty and
Kaitlyn Jordan add 165 and 147 kills, respectively. Freshman
Canyen Rodriguez and sophomore
Julia Zalta have split the setting duties for the Lions, with Rodriguez tallying 7.61 assists per set and Zalta averaging 6.31 assists/set. Freshman libero Aria Miller has totaled 334 digs (4.07 digs/set) for the Lions, while Jordan leads the team with 38 blocks on the season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MOLLOY
Series Record: 16-5 Daemen
Home Record: 11-1
Current Streak: Daemen won 5
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, Molloy 0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-18) | Oct. 23, 2022, Rockville Centre, N.Y.
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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