Women's Volleyball To Host Final Weekend of Regular Season Matches

11/3/2023 1:28:00 PM

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

FINAL WEEKEND OF REGULAR SEASON ACTION
The Daemen University women's volleyball will host two matches in their final weekend of regular season play at Lumsden Gymnasium. Coming in with a 19-5 overall record and a 9-0 record in East Coast Conference play this season, on Saturday the Wildcats will host the 12-8 Queens Knights who sit tied for second in the ECC behind Daemen with a 6-3 conference record. Daemen will play the Lions of Molloy on Sunday, who come in with an 11-12 overall record and are tied in second with Queens with a 6-3 record in ECC play.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
The Wildcats won their only match of the week in a 3-0 sweep against Roberts Wesleyan last Wednesday. It marked the 18th straight victory over the Redhawks, and moved the Wildcats' regular season ECC win streak to 32 matches, a streak that dates back to Nov. 10, 2019. Daemen out-hit Roberts Wesleyan 43 to 29 on the day and finished with a .257 hitting percentage while holding the Redhawks to just .069 through the match. Daemen senior right side Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) led all players on the floor with 10 kills on 19 attacks for a .368 hitting percentage, while freshman outside hitter Charlotte Koerber (Munich, Germany) posted a match-high 11.5 points off nine kills, nine digs, two aces and an assisted block. Senior libero Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) led all players with 17 digs (5.67 digs/set) and added an ace and an assist in the victory. Koerber was named the ECC Rookie of the Week for the fifth time this season for her performance on the court.

STAT CATS
The Wildcats lead the ECC with 1135 total kills, averaging 13.48 kills per set for a league-high .232 hitting percentage. Daemen leads all ECC teams with 12.24 assists/set (1028 total assists), 16.24 digs per set with 1,364 total digs, and 192 total service aces (2.29 aces/set) on the year. Koerber ranks second in the ECC in kills per set (3.75), fourth in total kills with 266, seventh with a .258 hitting percentage and ranks second in the league with 0.54 service aces per set. Brundage leads the league with 391 total digs for a league-high 5.08 digs per set. Giraud ranks second in the ECC with a .346 hitting percentage, sixth in the ECC with 229 total kills and seventh with 3.01 kills/set. Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.) ranks eighth in the league with 2.77 kills/set Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.) ranks seventh in the ECC with a .289 hitting percentage. Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.) ranks sixth with a .275 hitting percentage. Masic leads the ECC with 0.57 aces per set, and ranks fifth in the league with 8.62 assists per set. Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) ranks seventh in the league with 6.49 assists/set.

LEAGUE STANDINGS
With just one week left in the regular season, the ECC standings are coming down to the wire. The top four teams get into the ECC Tournament, to be held at the top seed over the weekend of Nov. 17-18. As it stands prior to this weekend:
1. Daemen -- 9 ECC games played -- 9-0 record
T2. Queens -- 9 ECC games played -- 6-3 record
T2. Molloy -- 9 ECC games played -- 6-3 record
4. Mercy -- 10 ECC games played -- 5-5 record
5. D'Youville -- 9 ECC games played -- 3-6 record
6. Roberts Wesleyan -- 10 ECC games played -- 3-7 record
7. St. Thomas Aquinas -- 10 ECC games played -- 1-9 record

If the Wildcats beat Queens on Saturday, they will clinch the ECC regular season title for the third straight season, and fifth time since 2016, and will clinch the top seed and hosting privileges in the ECC Tournament.

THE HUNT FOR 1K
Including her freshman season spent at Urbana University, Maggie Burns is just 11 kills away from tallying her 1,000th kill over her five year collegiate career. She sits at 989 kills going into the final three matches of the regular season. Burns recorded her 1,000th career dig this season at Gannon.

THE KNIGHTS
Queens comes into Saturday's match with a 12-8 overall record and 6-3 record in ECC play after falling to Mercy 3-0 in their last outing on Sunday. The Knights rank fourth in the league posting an average of 11.72 kills per set on the year, with sophomore outside hitter Kendall Conrad leading the way with 3.50 kills/set (273 total kills) which ranks sixth in the ECC. Senior right side Alexis Deodat, who earned Second Team All-ECC honors last year, has 117 kills on the season and leads the team with 61 total blocks (0.78 blocks/set), which is the second-most blocks in the league. Junior outside hitter Christina Franco picked up All-ECC Honorable Mention in 2022 and ranks second on the team with 187 kills (2.53 kills/set).

SERIES RECORD
Daemen owns a 15-4 series record over Queens, with the Wildcats winning the last nine matches against the Knights. Daemen swept Queens 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15) in the first meeting this season on Sept. 23.

THE LIONS
11-12 Molloy comes into Sunday's matchup with a 6-3 ECC record and are tied with Queens for second in the league. The Lions are led offensively by 2022 First Team All-ECC selection senior outside hitter Kiarra Roth with 289 kills (3.57 kills/set), who ranks fourth in the ECC in kills/set and second in total kills. 6-foot senior middle blocker Chye Davis is another offensive weapon, totaling 125 kills for the Lions, but is even better defensively at the net where she leads the league with 63 blocks (1.05 blocks/set). Senior middle blocker Colleen Moulder ranks third in the ECC with a .321 hitting percentage and third in the league with 0.82 blocks per set (41 total). Marian Donado Yepes ranks fourth in the ECC averaging 8.73 assists per set.

SERIES RECORD
The Wildcats own a 18-5 overall record over Molloy, and are riding a seven game win streak over the Lions. Daemen squeaked out a victory in a five-set thriller in the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season on Sept. 24, with the Wildcats coming out 3-2 (25-12, 25-19, 19-25, 22-25, 15-13).

UP NEXT
Daemen will host crosstown rival D'Youville on Thursday, Nov. 9 for the regular season finale at 6 PM at Lumsden Gymnasium where the Wildcats will honor four seniors and Team IMPACT player Ava Hackett in Senior Day celebrations.

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 University women's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWVB.

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