Match #8
Daemen Wildcats (6-1, 1-0 NEC) vs. Merrimack Warriors (5-4, 0-0 NEC)
Date: Friday, Feb. 17 
Time: 7 PM
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Hammel Court
Live Stream: via NEC Front Row
Live Stats: via merrimackathletics.com

Match #9
Daemen Wildcats (6-1, 1-0 NEC) vs. Sacred Heart Pioneers (2-5, 0-0 NEC)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 19
Time: 11 AM
Location: Fairfield, Conn. | William H Pitt Center
Live Stream: via NEC Front Row
Live Stats: sacredheartpioneers.com

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ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After opening up the inaugural Northeast Conference season with a big 3-0 sweep over D'Youville last Friday night, the 6-1 Daemen University men's volleyball team hits the road again this weekend for a pair of NEC matches. The Wildcats will travel to North Andover, Massachusetts on Friday night to take on 5-4 Merrimack in a 7 PM tilt, then will head to Fairfield, Connecticut on Sunday afternoon for an 11 AM matinee match at 2-5 Sacred Heart.

LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
The Wildcats opened up conference play with a 3-0 sweep over D'Youville last week, making the Wildcats the very first team in the NEC to notch a win in the inaugural season of NEC men's volleyball. Head coach Don Gleason tallied his 50th career victory as head coach of Daemen men's volleyball. Six Wildcats tallied kills in the win, with senior outside hitter Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) finishing as the top hitter in the match with 11 kills (3.66 kills/set) on 18 attacks for a .500 hitting percentage and a match-high 14 points. Daemen out-killed the Saints 34-24 in the match, and totaled a .349 hitting percentage compared to just .132 for D'Youville. Graduate student middle hitter Henry Moffitt (Sydney, Australia) tallied a season-high eight kills (2.66 kills/set) on 11 attacks with no errors for a .727 hitting percentage, and added an ace and an assisted block to his stat line. Schneider and Moffitt earned First Point/NEC Prime Performer honors.

STAT CATS
Through seven matches, Daemen ranks in the top two in the NEC in six of seven categories. The Wildcats have the highest hitting percentage (.308), lowest opponent hitting percentage (.179), and lead the league in kills (12.22 kills per set) and service aces (2.30 aces per set), while ranking second in the conference in assists (10.65 assists per set) and blocks (1.91 blocks per set). Schneider leads the league in points (4.31 points/set), third in the league in hitting percentage (.387) and kills (3.33 kills/set) and leads the conference in service aces (0.56 aces/set). Junior opposite Cameron Milligan (Pavilion, N.Y.) ranks second in the NEC in points (4.05 points/set), eighth in hitting percentage (.305), fifth in kills (3.26 kills/set) and second in aces (0.53 aces/set). Senior setter Sean Califf (Oak Park, Ill.) ranks third in the conference in assists (8.74 assists/set), fourth in digs (2.0 digs/set) and 10th in aces (0.32 aces/set). Moffitt ranks eighth in blocks (0.68 blocks/set). 

IMPRESSIVE START
Four of Daemen's six wins this season have been perfect 3-0 Wildcat sweeps, including last Friday's 3-0 conference opener against D'Youville, while their wins over Princeton and Harvard were 3-1 victories. The Wildcats are averaging 12.1 kills per set compared to just 9.4 for their opponents, and are hitting with a .307 hitting percentage compared to .181 for opponents on the season. Six Wildcat players have notched 20+ kills on the season. The dynamic duo of Milligan and Schneider account for 121 of Daemen's 279 total kills on the season, and the pair of heavy hitters also each have 10 service aces, totaling 20 of Daemen's 55 total aces on the year. 

OFF THE BLOCK POLL
The Wildcats remain ranked sixth in the the Off The Block Division II Coaches Poll for week six of the 2023 season, as released on Wednesday afternoon. Off The Block is a website solely dedicated to the coverage of collegiate men's volleyball, and conducts a Division II national poll every Wednesday. Daemen has been included in 17 straight OTB polls. 

UP NEXT
The Wildcats return home to Lumsden Gymnasium for the first time since Jan. 28 when they host D'Youville on Thursday, Feb. 23.

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SCOUTING THE MERRIMACK WARRIORS
Merrimack begins conference play on Friday night against the Wildcats. Playing in their first season, the Warriors have put together a 5-4 record, dropping their first three matches of the season before going on a five-match win streak. The Warriors are coming off a 0-3 loss to Harvard last Wednesday, marking their second loss to the Crimson this year. On the season, Merrimack is out-killing opponents 10.6 to 9.3, with three-time First Point/NEC Rookie of the Week Zyshonne Lang leading the Warriors offensively, totaling 91 kills (3.14 kills/set) for a .242 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Miles Dewhirst and senior middle Xander Thesz are tied for second on the team in kills, with each totaling 65 on the year. Setter Carson Bashford ranks second in the NEC in assists, averaging 9.12 assists per set through nine matches this season. The Warriors rank second (behind Daemen) in the league in service aces per set (2.06), led by the trio of Dewhirst, Lang and Bashford with 15, 11 and 10, respectively. Freshman libero Kyle Standage leads the Warriors with 86 digs on the season, and ranks second in the NEC with an average of 2.69 digs per set. Friday's match will mark the first meeting between Daemen and Merrimack.

SCOUTING THE SACRED HEART PIONEERS
The Pioneers come into Sunday's matchup with a 2-5 record on the season, with their only two wins of the year coming against Stevens in a 3-2 five set thriller in their third match of the season and a 3-1 win over American International last Tuesday. Errors have plagued the Pioneers this season. Through the 288 kills Sacred Heart has notched this season, they have totaled 144 errors, and have 129 service errors compared to just 31 aces. On the year, the Pioneers are averaging 11.1 kills per set, out-killing their opponents who are putting up an average of 9.8 kills per set. Junior outside hitters Mark Berry and Patrick Mucherino lead the team with 60 kills a piece on the year. Berry ranks sixth in the league with a .325 hitting percentage, and was named the First Point/NEC Player of the Week on Jan. 31. Sacred Heart senior setter Tyler Kwinta leads the NEC in assists (9.32 assists per set). 

SERIES RECORD VS. SACRED HEART
All-Time Record: 1-0 Sacred Heart
Away Record: 1-0 Sacred Heart
Last Meeting: 3-2 Sacred Heart (18-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-20, 12-15) | Jan. 22, 2022 | Fairfield, CT

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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.

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