MVB_Jake Couzens service vs Princeton 2023

Men's Volleyball Returns To Lumsden On Saturday For Home Match Against AIC

1/20/2023 9:30:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

Game #3
Daemen Wildcats (1-1, 0-0 NEC) vs. American International Yellowjackets (0-4)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21
Time: 1 PM
Location: Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
Live Stream: via NEC Front Row
Live Stats: via daemenwildcats.com

HOME AGAIN
The 1-1 Daemen University men's volleyball team returns to Lumsden Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 21 to host 0-4 American International in a non-league match at 1 p.m.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
The Wildcats split their first two games in their season opening week. Daemen came away with a huge 3-1 (25-27, 25-19, 25-16, 25-22) victory over RV Princeton in front of a near sellout crowd in their home opener last Tuesday. Daemen out-killed Princeton 53 to 42 for a .267 hitting percentage, and senior outside hitter Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) and junior outside hitter Cameron Milligan (Pavilion, N.Y.) combined for 30 of the Wildcats' 53 kills. On Friday, the Wildcats played No. 4 ranked Penn State for the first time in program history, and fell to the Nittany Lions in an 0-3 final to move the Wildcats to 1-1 on the year. Milligan led Daemen offensively against PSU, totaling a team-high eight kills on 18 attacks.

WEEKLY AWARDS
For their efforts through the first two games of the season, Schneider and senior setter Sean Califf (Oak Park, Ill.) picked up Northeast Conference weekly awards. Schneider was named First Point/NEC Player of the Week, and Califf was named one of the NEC Prime Performers for his play against Princeton. After spending his first three years at the University of Purdue-Fort Wayne, Califf, a 6-5 senior setter, started both matches last week, and earned NEC Prime Performer after his stellar match against Princeton on Tuesday. In his Daemen debut against Princeton, he finished with a double-double, totaling 38 assists (9.5 assists/set) and 10 digs (2.5 digs/set), while notching five kills on seven attacks for a .714 hitting percentage.

POLL ALERT
The Wildcats are ranked fifth in the first Off The Block Division II Coaches Poll after posting a 1-1 record in their first two matches of the season. A national voting committee comprised of coaches from the more than 25 Division II teams determines the weekly rankings for the Division II National Coaches Poll. Daemen finished ranked 8th in the coaches poll at the end of the 2022 season.

ZACH ATTACK
Through the first two games, Schneider leads all Wildcat hitters with 23 kills, good for 3.29 kills per set, and finished the week with a .271 hitting percentage. Schneider also added nine total digs (1.28 digs per set), two solo blocks and two services aces to his stat line on the week. In Tuesday's season opening 3-1 win against RV Princeton, Schneider led all hitters, totaling 17 kills (4.25 kills/set) for a .355 hitting percentage, and led the Wildcats with a team-high 21 points in the match. The Wildcats fell 0-3 to No. 4 ranked Penn State on Friday in a match that Schneider finished with six kills on 17 attacks. The senior scored 27.0 total points (3.86 points per set) for the Wildcats.

WELCOME TO THE WILDCATS
Through his first two matches, Califf stepped into the primary setter role for the Wildcats, and totaled 58 assists to average 8.29 assists per set as well as a team-leading 13 digs (1.86 digs per set) over two matches. Along with his double-double against the Tigers on Tuesday, Califf would tally 20 assists (6.67 assists/set) against the No. 4 ranked Nittany Lions on Friday.

DE-FENSE
On the season, the Wildcats have accumulated 55 total digs for an average of 7.9 digs per set. Califf leads the way with 13 total digs, and is the only Wildcat to rack up double-digit digs so far. Schneider ranks second on the team with nine total digs (1.29 digs/set), followed by sophomore outside hitter Billy Wieberg (Grand Island, N.Y.) with eight and senior defensive specialist John Jaworski (Naperville, Ill.) with seven. Senior Ryan Parker (Fairport, N.Y.) leads the team with 43 receptions and just two errors on the year for an average of .953 percent, with Weiberg's .941 percentage and Milligan's .897 reception percentage right behind.

UP NEXT
Daemen stays at home and will host Central State in a 1 p.m. match on Saturday, Jan. 28.

SCOUTING THE AIC YELLOWJACKETS
American International comes into Saturday's matchups with an 0-4 record overall. The Yellowjackets have been swept in all four matches on the season, losing 0-3 to Eastern Nazarene, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Fairleigh Dickinson twice. Sophomore outside hitter John Rivera Ortiz leads the team in kills (46), averaging 3.83 kills per set for a .134 hitting percentage through 12 sets, and also leads the team with 26 digs (2.17 digs/set) and 85 receptions on the year. Freshman defensive specialist Alejandro Miranda ranks second on the team with 16 kills, 59 receptions and 14 digs, while freshman setter Michael Maldonado averages 5.5 assists per set and has tallied 14 digs on the year.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. AIC
Series Record: 2-0 Daemen
Home Record: 1-0 Daemen
Away Record: 1-0 Daemen
Last Meeting: 3-0 Daemen (25-7, 25-13, 25-17) | Feb. 12, 2022 | Amherst, N.Y.

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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