AMHERST, N.Y. – It was another victorious afternoon at Lumsden Gymnasium as the Daemen University women's volleyball team outlasted Mercy 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 21-25, 25-21) on Saturday, improving their overall record to 17-5 overall and 7-0 in East Coast Conference play. The Wildcats have won 30 straight ECC regular season matches, a streak that dates back to Nov. 10, 2019. The Mavericks move to 9-5 on the year and 4-3 in the ECC with today's loss.
In a battle of the top two offensive units in the ECC, Daemen narrowly out-hit Mercy 47-42, but the difference-maker was Daemen's 10 aces compared to just two for the Mavericks. Four different players recorded aces for the Wildcats, and all four recorded multiple aces today.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Junior middle Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.) led all hitters on the court with 13 kills (3.25 kills/set) for a .296 hitting percentage. She added three block assists and two digs for a match-high 14.5 points.
- Fifth year senior outside hitter Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.) finished with eight kills, nine digs, three aces, one assited block and one assist for 11.5 points on the day.
- Freshman outside hitter Charlotte Koerber (Munich, Germany) totaled eight kills for a .304 hitting percentage, while adding nine digs, one solo block, one assisted block and one assist.
- Senior middle blocker Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.) totaled five kills, four digs, three solo blocks, one assisted block and two aces for 10.5 points.
- Senior setters Dunja Masic (McHenry, Ill.) and Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) split time running the offense today. Masic led the way with 24 assists and added three aces and two digs, while Alessi totaled 17 assists, two aces and three digs.
- Senior libero Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) finished with a match-high 15 digs.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Mavs opened up the first on a 5-1 run, but Daemen put together an 11-5 run to take the lead and extended it by scoring seven unanswered points late in the set. The Wildcats took the first set 25-20 after out-hitting Mercy 16-9 in the first.
- After leading by one point in a tight second set, the Wildcats won the final six points to take the set 25-20. Koerber and Armstrong each tallied four kills.
- The Wildcats and Mavericks traded points throughout the third set. After tying it up at 20, Mercy went on a 6-1 run to take the third set 25-21 and force a fourth.
- Just like in the previous two sets, it was a back and forth start to the fourth. The Wildcats took a lead after scoring six unanswered points, and despite a late comeback by the Mavs, Daemen was able to hold on for a 25-21 victory.
GAME NOTES
- The Wildcats have won seven straight matches against Mercy, and move to an 18-3 overall record over the Mavericks.
- Burns continues the hunt for her 1,000th career kill! With today's eight kill performance, the fifth-year senior moves to 978 total kills in her five-year career. She tallied her 1,000th career dig in Wednesday's match against Saint Rose.
- Daemen has won all six of their home matches this season.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will welcome first-year program St. Thomas Aquinas to Lumsden Gymnasium for the first time on Sunday morning for an 11 AM 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 women's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWVB.
