David Jensen

Box Score

DAEMEN DAEMEN 16-6

Lincoln Memorial LM 20-7

DAEMEN DAEMEN

16-6

Final

Apr. 23, 2022

Lincoln Memorial LM

20-7

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	F
DAEMEN DAEMEN	20	19	13	(0)
Lincoln Memorial LM	25	25	25	(3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | 4/23/2022 7:08:00 PM | CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications/Operations | 716-839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

Railsplitters Top Wildcats In IVA Tournament Finals

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Daemen University men's volleyball team saw its season come to an end tonight, falling 3-0 (20-25, 19-25, 13-25) to Lincoln Memorial University in the final round of the Independent Volleyball Association Championship at Curry Arena on the campus of Queens University. The two-day tournament featured eight competing teams - all independent members of NCAA Division I-II.

The tournament's two No. 1 seeds - Daemen from the North Region; Lincoln Memorial from the South Region - met to determine the winner after each won a pair of matches yesterday. In the end, LMU scored its fourth straight IVA tournament title while Daemen's runner-up finish is the program's best in two lifetime appearances.

With the loss, Daemen dropped to 16-6 overall. The Wildcats' 16 wins represent a new program record for a single season. It marked Daemen's first setback against an opponent from an NCAA Division II or III institution since Feb. 29, 2020, snapping a string of 22 straight victories.

The Railsplitters, ranked 10th in the latest NCAA Division I-II Men's Volleyball RPI rankings, improved to 20-7 overall while extending their winning streak to 10 straight matches.

LMU connected for 40 kills and committed just six hitting errors (.479 hitting percentage) in their victory. Daemen attacked at just a .159 clip today, their lowest since posting a .148 hitting percentage in a 3-2 win over St. John Fisher College in early February.

IMPACT PLAYERS

Justin Sharfenaker posted a match-high 11 kills to pace the victorious Railsplitters. His offensive production came on just 19 swings, finishing with a .579 hitting percentage.
Cole Campisano and Matthew Gentry chipped in nine and eight kills, respectively, for LMU, and Kohl Kutsch produced a double-dobules (30 assists, 10 digs).
Daemen was once again led by junior Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) who totaled 10 kills - his 16th match in double figures this season.
Cameron Milligan (Pavilion, N.Y.) chipped in nine kills and Michael Krueger (Canonsburg, Pa.) totaled 26 assists and six digs for t

GAME NOTES

Daemen completed in its fourth season of existence.
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 is now 35-8 in their last 43 matches—a span that dates back to early February, 2020. Five of the eight losses have come against Division I opponents.
Daemen entered the match ranked No. 9 in the Off The Block Division II Coaches Poll. The Wildcats have been included in that poll for 12 straight weeks.
Daemen is also No. 37 in the NCAA Division I-II RPI Rankings. LMU came into the match at No. 10.
LMU owns a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series with Daemen. Today's meeting was the teams' first since a 3-2 Daemen win on Feb. 9, 2020.
The Wildcats competed in the IVA Championship for the first time since 2019 - the program's inaugural season. The 2020 IVA Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Daemen elected not to partake in last year's event.
Schneider finished the season with 257 kills - the most for a single season in program history.

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.