Junior middle hitter Jake Couzens has been among Daemen's top offensive and defensive players this season

Men's Volleyball Heads To Charlotte For IVA Championship

Wildcats to play three matches over two days in pursuit of tournament title

4/21/2022 3:00:00 PM

INDEPENDENT VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP - APRIL 22-23 - LEVINE CENTER - CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Tournament Central

First Round | Friday, April 22 | 1:30 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
(North #1) Daemen Wildcats (14-5) vs. (South #4) Tusculum Pioneers (6-19)

Second Round | Friday, April 22 | 7:30 p.m. | Links Available @ Tournament Central
(North #1) Daemen Wildcats vs. (South #2) Queens Royals -OR- (North #3) D'Youville Saints

Third Round | Saturday, April 23 | Time TBA | Links Available @ Tournament Central
(North #1) Daemen Wildcats vs. TBA

TOURNEY TIME
The Daemen Wildcats are the No. 1 seed from the North Region for the Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) Championship which gets underway Friday at the Levine Center on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte. The two-day tournament features eight competing teams - all independent members of NCAA Division I-II -with a total of 12 matches to be played (three by each team). Daemen grabbed the North's top seed after posting a 14-5 record through the regular season, establishing a new program record for wins. The Wildcats have won 12 of their last 15 contests and own a 3-0 record against IVA teams this season.

Led by head coach Don Gleason, Daemen's program is in its fourth season of existence. The Wildcats are competing in the IVA Championship for the first time since 2019 - the program's inaugural campaign - when they placed fourth. The 2020 IVA Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Wildcats chose not to partake in the tournament last spring. The Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters, which earned the No. 1 seed from the South Region, has won three straight IVA titles.

IN THE POLLS
Daemen comes into the tournament ranked ninth in the Division II National Coaches Poll released by Off The Block. After being the only NCAA Division I-II team to finish the 2021 season without a loss, Daemen has been ranked in the poll for 12 straight weeks. Dating back to February 2020, Daemen is 32-7 in their last 39 matches with wins in 19 straight matches against Division II and III opponents.

ZACH ATTACK
Junior outside hitter Zach Schneider has led the Daemen offense all season and enters the tournament averaging 3.38 kills per set. He has posted 10+ kills in 13 of the 17 matches he's appeared in this season and stands just eight kills shy of 500 for his career. Schneider ranks 33rd among the national leaders for kills per set. He's also anchored Daemen's strong efforts from the service line by producing 0.48 aces per set (ranks 15th nationally). As a team, Daemen ranks first nationally by averaging 2.19 aces per set.

AT THE PINS
Additional offensive production has come from a variety of sources as the Wildcats feature eight players averaging at least one kill per set. Junior outside hitter Ryan Parker and sophomore right side Cameron Milligan are producing on the pins. Parker, who also leads the team with 98 digs, is averaging 2.00 kills per set. Milligan has seen his role expand in recent weeks and is producing 1.97 kills per set this season. Milligan's production has helped the Wildcats absorb the loss of graduate student Robert Patzer who suffered a season-ending injury in mid-March.

IN THE MIDDLE
Senior Henry Moffitt and junior Jake Couzens have seen the bulk of the action among Daemen's middle hitters. The duo is combining to produce 1.89 kills and 1.34 blocks per set with a .419 hitting percentage. Moffitt is the only Daemen player to appear in all 72 sets this season, and he recently surpassed 300 kills for his career. Couzens has also produced from the service line (0.46 aces per set) where his 30 aces are tied with Schneider for the team lead. He ranks 18th in service aces per set and eight in hitting percentage (.433) among the national leaders.

SENIOR SETTER
Senior Michael Krueger has once again served as the Wildcats' primary setter. Krueger is one of three players that remains from Daemen's inaugural season (also Moffitt and defensive specialist Jaden Gillette) and he's appeared in more sets (208) and totaled more assists (1,755) than any player in team history. This season, Krueger is producing 9.63 assists per set. He has posted 40+ assists in five of the 11 matches he's appeared in, including a season-high 50 during a four-set win at Mount Union on March 18.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen returned from a 15-day hiatus and defeated Western New York rival D'Youville in three sets this past Saturday. Zach Schneider posted his third double-double (10 kills, 10 digs) of the season and the Wildcats held sizable advantages in kills (39-27), hitting percentage (.368-.219), assists (37-27) and service aces (8-4) en route to their sixth win in seven all-time meetings with D'Youville.

AGAINST THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
Daemen owns a 3-0 record against teams competing in the IVA Championship this weekend. The Wildcats swept their two-match season series with D'Youville, winning 3-1 at home (March 2) and 3-0 on the road this past Saturday (April 16). Daemen also scored a 3-0 sweep over Fairleigh Dickinson on March 26.

TOURNAMENT OPPONENT NOTES (SOUTH REGION)
No. 1 - Lincoln Memorial (17-7): The Railsplitters have been the measuring stick for independent teams over the past several seasons. After going 10-17 in their inaugural season (2017), LMU has posted a winning record in every year since and they enter this weekend's tournament nearing the program record for wins in a season (18-7 in 2019). The Railsplitters have played a challenging schedule with matches against Loyola Chicago, McKendree, Hawai'i and Ohio State, posting a combined 3-5 against those opponents. The Railsplitters will ride a seven-match winning streak into the tournament. They open up against Alderson Broaddus, the No. 4 seed from the North Region.

No. 2 Queens (N.C.) (16-11): Like LMU, the Royals bring a seven-match winning streak into tournament play. They have not lost since a 3-0 setback to Lincoln Memorial on March 25. Queens has posted a 6-4 record at home this season. Now in their fifth season of existence, the Royals are 30-23 since the start of the 2021 season and their 16 wins in 2022 are a new program record. They open the tournament against D'Youville, a team they defeated in three sets earlier this month in a neutral site match hosted by Alderson Broaddus.

No. 3 Limestone (17-9): The Saints program has been around since 2010, producing winning record in 10 of 13 seasons. Their 17 wins this season are the most in program history. The Saints own a 5-4 record this season against teams that are competing this weekend, but will be looking to shake off a two-match slide. They open up with their first-ever match against Fairleigh Dickinson.

No. 4 Tusculum (6-19): Tusculum is competing in just the third season of their program's existence. Their six wins this season represent a new program benchmark. They enter the tournament having lost 10 of their last 11 matches, including a 3-0 sweep by Lincoln Memorial on April 9. Friday's opening round match is the first-ever between Daemen and Tusculum.

TOURNAMENT OPPONENT NOTES (NORTH REGION)
No. 2 - Fairleigh Dickinson (6-14): The Knights are in the midst of the first season in program history. FDU is competing in the IVA Championship for the first and only time as they'll compete in the Northeast Conference next season. The Knights put together a three-match winning streak in early March, but have dropped seven of eight matches since, including losses to D'Youville (3-1) and Daemen (3-0) later in the month. The Knights open tournament play against Limestone.

No. 3 - D'Youville (8-11): The Saints are making their first-ever appearance at the IVA Championship tournament. D'Youville has newly transitioned to the Division I-II level after a long history as an NCAA Division III affiliate. The Saints have posted a 2-5 record against teams competing this weekend, picking up wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Alderson Broaddus. They will be looking to snap a two-match slide when the open up against tournament host Queens.

No. 4 Alderson Broaddus (6-20): The Battlers enter tournament play having won three of their last seven matches, but are 0-9 this season against teams competing this weekend. They open the tournament by facing three-time defending champion Lincoln Memorial.

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