Skip To Main Content

Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
MVB TEAM HUDDLE
Geoff Schneider
1
Nazareth NAZ 16-6,2-2 UVC
3
Winner Daemen DAEMEN 8-2
Nazareth NAZ
16-6,2-2 UVC
1
Final
3
Daemen DAEMEN
8-2
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Nazareth NAZ 19 21 25 18 (1)
Daemen DAEMEN 25 25 18 25 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications | (716) 839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

Wildcats Ground Golden Flyers, Extend Winning Streak To Six

AMHERST, N.Y. – Junior outside hitter Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) accounted for 22.5 points to lead the Daemen Wildcats to a 3-1 victory (25-19, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18) over the visiting Nazareth Golden Flyers in an inter-divisional men's volleyball match tonight at Lumsden Gymnasium.

With the win, Daemen improves to 8-2 on the season and extends their winning streak to six straight matches. The Wildcats, who are ranked seventh in the Off The Block NCAA Division II Coaches Poll released earlier today, have dropped just three sets through the course of their winning streak with all six wins coming on their home floor. 

Nazareth, which has been ranked as high as 12th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III Coaches Poll this season, fell to 16-6. The Golden Flyers are just 3-4 in their last seven matches after starting the season 13-1. Daemen was the first non-Division III opponent on their 2022 schedule. 

Daemen totaled 50 kills on a .343 hitting percentage - their sixth match this season with an attacking success rate of at least 30%. Nazareth managed 45 kills on a .302 hitting percentage - the most efficient performance of any Daemen opponent this season. The Wildcats entered the match allowing just a .187 hitting percentage to opponents - second best among all NCAA Division I-II teams. 

Trailing 12-11 in the opening set, Daemen embarked on a 10-3 run to seize control. Four different Daemen players recorded kills in the spurt, including two each by Schneider and senior middle Henry Moffitt (Sydney, Australia). The Golden Flyers could not get any closer than a five-point deficit for the remainder of the set.

The Wildcats used a 7-2 run to establish a 15-9 lead in the second set. Back-to-back service aces from junior outside hitter Ryan Parker (Fairport, N.Y.) capped the spurt. The Wildcats would later go up 23-17 on a kill from Schneider and the Western New York native ended the frame moments later with another big swing. 

Nazareth climbed back into things with a solid third set, limiting Daemen to nine kills and a .182 hitting percentage in the frame. The Golden Flyers had their best spurt of the match, a 10-3 run which put them ahead 21-14. The lead proved insurmountable for the Wildcats as the match moved to a fourth frame.

Tied at 12-12, sophomore opposite Cameron Milligan's (Pavilion, N.Y.) kill sparked a match-ending 13-6 run for the home team. Schneider accounted for four kills in the run, the last of which put Daemen ahead 23-18. He added a service ace at set point to end the contest. 

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Schneider's 18 kills were just four shy of his season-high and he's now totaled four aces in four different matches this season. He added six digs as well.
  • Parker matched his own program record for service aces in a match with five while adding nine kills. He committed just one attack error and had a .500 hitting percentage while also posting a season-high 12 digs.
  • Moffitt tallied seven kills on a .700 hitting percentage.
  • Both Michael Krueger (Canonsburg, Pa.) and Jake Couzens (Hamburg, N.Y.) made an impact while returning to the lineup following their respective injury rehab. Krueger, a senior setter, had missed five straight matches but returned today to total 43 assists and four digs. Couzens had missed the last two matches and the junior middle recorded seven kills on a .600 hitting percentage in his return today.
  • Cal Wickens (21 kills), Antonio Sargent (13 kills) and Trent Caviness (38 assists) paced the Golden Flyers. 

GAME NOTES
  • Daemen competes as an independent member of NCAA Division I-II while Nazareth is a member of NCAA Division II and the United Volleyball Conference. 
  • The Wildcats return 12 players from their 2021 team which finished with a 10-0 record - the only NCAA Division I-II team without a loss. 
  • Daemen has won 27 of their last 31 matches dating back to February of 2020.
  • Daemen has now won 15 consecutive matches against Division II and III opponents.
  • Tonight's match was the seventh in Daemen's nine-match home stand – the longest in program history. The Wildcats are 6-1 at home this season and have won 11 of their last 12 at Lumsden Gymnasium dating back to March 2020.
  • Daemen tallied 11 service aces - one shy of their season-high. The Wildcats have recorded 10+ aces in six matches this season and entered the match averaging 2.4 service aces per set, second in the country behind only Hawaii (2.88).
  • Schneider's production included his 100th kill of the season. He leads the team in total kills (104), kills per set (3.25), service aces (22) and service aces per set (0.69). He has posted 10+ kills in six of the eight matches he has played in this season. 

UP NEXT
Daemen's historic home stand continues this weekend when first-year program Central State comes to town for a 1 p.m. match Saturday (Feb. 26). 

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.

Follow the Daemen College men's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenMVB.
 
 
Print Friendly Version