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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
MVB_Block_2023
0
Daemen Daemen 1-1,0-0 NEC
3
Winner Penn St. PSU 3-0,0-0 EIVA
Daemen Daemen
1-1,0-0 NEC
0
Final
3
Penn St. PSU
3-0,0-0 EIVA
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Daemen Daemen 10 19 22 (0)
Penn St. PSU 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

Wildcats Fall To Nationally-Ranked Nittany Lions

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Junior outside hitter Michael Valenzi totaled 10 kills to lead nationally-ranked Penn State University to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-19, 25-22) victory over Daemen University this evening in non-conference men's volleyball action at Recreation Hall South Gym on the PSU campus.

Penn State, which is ranked No. 4 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I/II poll, improved to 3-0 on the year. The Nittany Lions posted a 23-4 record last year and are the preseason favorite to win the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) title. Daemen, which opened the year with a 3-1 win over defending EIVA champion Princeton this past Tuesday, falls to 1-1. 

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Valenzi, the 2021 EIVA Freshman of the Year, committed just two attack error on the night and finished with a .471 hitting percentage. Graduate student Cole Bogner added 30 assists for the hosts, while sophomore Owen Rose registered nine of PSU's 11 blocks.
  • Junior outside hitter Cameron Milligan (Pavilion, N.Y.) and senior outside hitter Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) and paced the Wildcats.
  • Milligan led the team in kills (8) and attacks (18), while Schneider posted six kills and 17 attacks.
  • Senior transfer setter Sean Califf (Oak Park, Ill.) finished with 20 assists and three digs. 
GAME NOTES
  • Daemen accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference back in May, marking a significant stride for the program which has competed as an NCAA Division I-II independent since its inception in 2019. With support from the First Point Volleyball Foundation, the NEC announced men's volleyball as the league's 25th championship sport in September of 2021.
  • Daemen was picked to finish fourth in the NEC men's volleyball preseason poll.
  • Tonight's match was the first ever meeting between Daemen and Penn State.
  • It also marked the fourth time in program history that Daemen has squared off against a team ranked nationally by the AVCA. The Wildcats opened the 2020 season with losses to No. 2 UCLA and No. 8 Pepperdine and suffered a 3-1 loss at No. 11 Loyola-Chicago last year.
  • Princeton was receiving votes in the most recent AVCA Division I/II poll after being ranked No. 15 in the AVCA Division I/II preseason poll.
  • Penn State extended its regular-season home winning streak to 20-straight matches.
  • The Nittany Lions finished with a 36-24 edge in total kills. PSU committed just eight attack errors on the night and posted a .467 hitting percentage. Daemen committed 21 attack errors and posted .050 hitting percentage.
  • The Nittany Lions held a 9-5 lead in the opening set when the hosts opened up a double-digit lead (15-5) following a 6-0 run. Daemen scored the next two points to make it an eight-point deficit, but the hosts took control with a 6-1 run that made the score 21-8. PSU went on to take game one 25-10.
  • Penn State jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set two, but Daemen hung tough and eventually took a 10-9 lead following a service ace by freshman Kyle Zelasko (West Seneca, N.Y.). Penn State scored the next four points, and the hosts later took a 17-13 lead following a Daemen error. Daemen cut the lead to two points, 19-17, but PSU scored the next four points and went on to a 25-19 victory.
  • The teams traded points early in set three and Daemen held an 8-6 lead when the hosts scored five unanswered points. Junior Toby Ezeonu capped the run with three straight service aces. Daemen scored four of the next six points to make it a one-point game (13-12), but PSU would respond with a 5-2 spurt that gave the hosts an 18-14 lead. The Wildcats would cut the lead to two points, 21-19, following back-to-back kills by Milligan, but PSU scored three of the next four points and closed out the match with a 25-22 victory.
UP NEXT
Daemen is idle until Jan. 21 with it hosts American International College in a non-league match.
 

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 men's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenMVB.
 
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