FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- In the first of two road games in West Virginia this weekend, the Daemen University women's volleyball team snapped their two-game win streak as they dropped a Friday evening tilt 3-0 (18-25, 17-25, 19-25) to Fairmont State. This marks the first time the Wildcats have been swept since the falling to Western Washington 3-0 in the NCAA Div. II Elite Eight on December 9, 2021. With the loss, the Wildcats move to 5-3 on the season.
On the other side, Fairmont State is off to their best start in recent history, boasting a 14-1 record to start the season. This was the final non-conference game of the season for the Falcons, who open up Mountain East play on Tuesday.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Junior middle blocker Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.) led the team offensively, recording six kills on Friday. Kuliga earned a .417 hitting percentage in the match.
- After earning her 1,000th career assist in last weekend's East Region Clash, junior setter Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) was the primary setter for the Wildcats again today, finishing with 15 assists to average 7.5 assists/set. She added eight digs.
- Senior outside hitter Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.) finished with five kills on the day.
- Ranked in the top five for service aces in the East Coast Conference, junior setter Dunja Masic (McHenry, Ill.) added two aces to her team-leading total this evening.
- Sophomore middle hitter Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.) totaled four kills and just one error on 14 attempts to finish with a .214 hitting percentage.
- Junior libero Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) tallied 11 digs to average 3.66 digs/set.
- Outside hitters Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.), Jordan Martin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.) all finished with three kills on the day.
- Senior middle blocker Shelby Kersten (Alden, N.Y.) totaled two assisted blocks on the day. Martin, Alessi, Kuliga and Kate Ryan (Buffalo, N.Y.) all added one block a piece.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons out-killed the Wildcats 75 to 54 in the match, finishing with a .252 hitting percentage compared to just .043 for Daemen.
- In the first set, the Wildcats climbed back from a 6-1 start to bring the game within one point at 19-18, but the Falcons ended the set with a 6-0 run.
- Daemen opened up the third set with a 5-1 advantage, and maintained a lead until Fairmont State went on a 10-1 run that the Wildcats could not stop.
- The errors started to pile up for the Wildcats tonight. Daemen finished with 22 attack errors, two service errors and four reception errors. 10 out of the 22 attack errors were committed during the second set alone, with the Wildcats earning just .023 hitting percentage in the set.
- Fairmont State had two players finish with double-digit kills today. Sophomore right side hitter Nyla Burch totaled 12 kills, while freshman outside hitter Joey Burrell tallied 11.
GAME NOTES
- Today's match marked the third all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Falcons. Fairmont State now leads the series 2-1.
- This was the final non-conference match for Fairmont State. The Falcons open up Mountain East play on Tuesday when they host Wheeling.
- The Wildcats continue the trek through West Virginia on Saturday for their final tune-up before conference play. Daemen will begin ECC play on Thursday when they play host to D'Youville.
UP NEXT
Daemen heads an hour and a half northwest of Fairmont, W.Va. to take on the West Liberty Hilltoppers on Saturday at 2 PM.
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.
Follow the Daemen women's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWVB.
