WNY Rivals To Meet Wednesday At Lumsden

Wildcats bring seven-match winning streak into contest with crosstown rival Saints

3/1/2022 11:45:00 AM

Match #12
Daemen Wildcats (9-2) vs. D'Youville Saints (4-7)
Wednesday, Mar. 2 | 6 p.m. | Lumsden Gymnasium

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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1. GOING STREAKING
The Daemen men's volleyball team wraps up the longest home stand in program history Wednesday night when crosstown rival D'Youville rides to Lumsden Gymnasium from the west side of Buffalo. It marks the sixth all-time meeting between the two Western New York programs with Daemen seeking its fifth straight win in the series. The Wildcats have won seven straight matches overall, all at the friendly confines of Lumsden where they are 7-1 this season and have won 12 of their last 13 matches dating back to March 2020. Daemen's winning streak is presently the third longest among all NCAA Division I and II teams; only Hawaii (nine straight wins) and Penn State (eight straight wins) have longer active winning streaks.

2. MARAUDING THE MARAUDERS
Daemen extended their recent winning streak with a 3-0 defeat (25-20, 25-19, 25-22) of the Central State Marauders this past Saturday afternoon. Junior middle Jake Couzens, playing in just his second match since returning from an injury suffered in early February, shared match-high honors with eight kills while adding three blocks and two service aces. Classmate Zach Schneider saw action in just two of the three sets and chipped in six kills on a .417 hitting percentage. It marked the Wildcats' third win this season against a team competing in its inaugural season. The Wildcats previously swept a home-and-home series with start-up program American International and have now won 28 of their last 32 matches (dating back to February 2020), including 16 in a row against NCAA Division II and III opponents.

3. COMING UP ACES
Daemen continues to be one of the top serving teams in the country. The Wildcats will enter Wednesday's match averaging 2.48 service aces per set. Only Hawaii (2.61) averages more. Five Daemen players - Zach Schneider (0.67), Cameron Milligan (0.50), Jake Couzens (0.49), Robert Patzer (0.46) and Ryan Parker (0.43) - rank in the top 30 nationally for service aces per set.

4. ZACH ATTACK
Junior outside hitter Zach Schneider has paced the Daemen offense by averaging 3.33 kills per set this season. Schneider totaled 18 kills in last Wednesday's win over Nazareth - four shy of his season-high and his sixth match this season with at least 10. Schneider ranks 31st in kills per set among the Division I-II national leaders. In his career, he has appeared in 35 matches and is the program's all-time leader in kills with 389.

5. WHAT'S NEXT
Daemen embarks on a week-long road trip which will see them play four matches in three different states beginning Sunday, March 13 against Loyola Chicago.

D'YOUVILLE SCOUTING REPORT
The D'Youville Saints are in the process of transitioning from NCAA Division III to Division II and the program is led by third-year head coach Chris Krueger. A 2013 D'Youville graduate, Krueger previously served three seasons as head coach at Division III Hilbert.

Just two players return from D'Youville's 2021 team that posted a 3-5 record during the pandemic-shortened season. Senior defensive specialist setter Anthony Dean and junior outside hitter Dan Busha are the most experienced of the bunch. Nine of the 12 players on D'Youville's roster are freshmen.

The Saints have won four out of their 11 matches this season, but will come into Wednesday's match looking to snap a four-match skid. The Saints have gone winless since knocking off American International in three sets on Feb. 12. It marked the Saints' first win against a Division II opponent since beginning their transition to that level.

Freshmen Ian De Wilde (2.61 kills/set) and Jacob Malak (2.60 kills/set) have paced D'Youville this season. De Wilde has recorded 10+ kills in four matches, including a season-high 13 in the win over AIC. Malak totaled 18 kills in a late January loss to Division I St. Francis Brooklyn. Additional offensive production is coming from freshman middle Tymek Brzoza (2.23 kills/set) who also leads the team in digs per set (1.54).

The Saints are coming off a three-set loss to Central State this past Friday.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. D'YOUVILLE
Series Record: 4-1
At Daemen: 1-0
Current Streak: Won 4
Last Meeting: Daemen 3, D'Youville 0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-21) | Mar. 22, 2021 | at Amherst, N.Y.

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