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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
couzens mvb vs central state
1
D'Youville DYO 4-8,0-0 DI Independent
3
Winner Daemen Daemen 10-2,0-0 DI Independent
D'Youville DYO
4-8,0-0 DI Independent
1
Final
3
Daemen Daemen
10-2,0-0 DI Independent
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
D'Youville DYO 11 28 15 12 (1)
Daemen Daemen 25 26 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | Griffin Kent, Athletic Communications Intern

Eight Is Great: Wildcats Knock Off Saints To Extend Winning Streak

Daemen earns WNY bragging rights in meeting with crosstown rival

AMHERST, N.Y. – In a matchup of the two highest level collegiate men's volleyball teams in Western New York, the bragging rights went to Daemen after the Wildcats earned a 3-1 victory (25-11, 26-28, 25-15, 25-12) over the D'Youville Saints this evening at Lumsden Gymnasium. It marked the last of a nine-match home stand for the Wildcats - the longest in program history - as they extended their winning streak to eight straight.

Daemen, which is ranked seventh in this week's Off The Block Division II Coaches Poll, improved to 10-2 this season. The Wildcats have been victorious in 29 of their last 33 matches (dating back to February 2020) and have now won 17 in a row against NCAA Division II and III opponents. Their eight-match winning streak is presently tied for the second longest among all NCAA Division I and II teams.

D'Youville, which is in the process of reclassifying from Division III to Division II, dropped to 4-8 this season. Daemen has won five straight meetings and improved to 5-1 in the all-time series with the Saints. 

After Daemen dominated the opening set to the tune of 13 kills and a .619 hitting percentage, D'Youville managed to flip the script in the second. The Saints came alive, powering down 18 kills to Daemen's 12. Late in the set, the Saints fended off two set points for the Wildcats and evened the match when they took three straight points, including two on Daemen hitting errors.

 The momentum was short-lived however as Daemen returned to its dominating ways in the third and fourth sets. Daemen put down 13 kills on a .417 hitting percentage in the third, building an insurmountable 22-12 advantage. The fourth set saw more of the same with Daemen attacking at a .600 clip with 13 kills once again. The Wildcats opened the set on a 9-3 run and never looked back.

The Wildcats ended the match with 51 kills and a .457 hitting percentage. D'Youville managed 42 kills, but committed 27 errors (to Daemen's eight) and hit just .132.  

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Sophomore Cameron Milligan (Pavilion, N.Y.) recorded a career-high 13 kills to pace the Wildcats.
  • Junior Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) also reached double figures, finishing with 10 kills on 20 swings. It's the seventh time in 10 matches this season that Schneider has posted 10 or more kills.
  • Junior Jake Couzens (Hamburg, N.Y.) and graduate student Robert Patzer (Liverpool, N.Y.) chipped in with nine and seven kills, respectively.
  • Senior setter Michael Krueger (Canonsburg, Pa.) totaled 34 assists and got in on the offensive action with six kills on eight attempts. 
  • Defensively, junior John Jaworski posted a match-high 12 digs.
  • Ian De Wilde posted a match-high 18 kills and Randy Adorno Pagan had a match-high 37 assists to pace the Saints.

GAME NOTES
  • Both Daemen competes as an independent member of NCAA Division I-II. 
  • 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 improved to 8-1 at home this season. The Wildcats have won 13 of their last 14 home matches dating back to March 2020. 
  • Only Hawaii, which is ranked third in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I-II Coaches Poll, has a longer active winning streak than Daemen. The Rainbow Warriors have won nine straight heading into their match tonight at UC San Diego.
  • Daemen and D'Youville meet again on Saturday, April 16 at the latter's College Center Gymnasium. 

UP NEXT
Daemen kicks off a week-long, four-match road trip when facing Loyola Chicago on Sunday, March 13. 

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.
 
 
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