Women's Volleyball To Play Three Matches In Wildcat Den Classic

9/7/2023 11:02:00 AM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. -- The Daemen University women's volleyball team returns to Lumsden Gymnasium for the first time in the 2023 season this weekend as they host the Wildcat Den Classic presented by Ellicott Hotels. The Wildcats will play three matches over the course of Friday and Saturday, starting with their home opener against California (PA) on Friday, Sept. 8 at 6 PM. Daemen will play a pair of matches on Saturday, opening up the day of play at 11 AM against Davis & Elkins, and capping off the tournament Saturday afternoon against Ohio Dominican at 4 PM.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
Daemen comes into their second tournament of the season with a 2-2 record after splitting last weekend's play at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament, hosted by Clarion. The Wildcats dropped the first two matches of the weekend, falling first to Clarion 3-0 on Thursday night, and then dropping a five-set thriller 3-2 to Shippensburg on Friday afternoon. Daemen picked up their first win of the season in a 3-0 sweep over Fayetteville State on Friday evening, and finished off the tournament with another win, topping Lake Erie 3-0 on Saturday evening. Seniors Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) and Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) earned All-Tournament Team honors for their performance over the weekend.

THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats field an experienced squad in 2023, returning 11 players and 6 of the 7 starters from last season's successful team. Daemen returns five players that earned All-Conference honors last season, including reigning ECC Player of the Year Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.), who earned AVCA All-Region accolades and was named the 2023 ECC Preseason Player of the Year after leading the league in kills per set (3.33) in 2022. Seniors Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.) and Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) return as heavy hitters from last season, while Kuliga led the team with a .330 hitting percentage (second in ECC), at the service line with 31 aces, and at the net with 41 total blocks. Seniors Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) and Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) picked up All-ECC honors for the second straight season last year, with Alessi earning ECC Co-Setter of the Year.

WEEKLY AWARD
Freshman outside hitter Charlotte Koerber (Munich, Germany) led all Wildcat players offensively at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament, totaling 46 kills (3.07 kills/set) while also scooping up 40 digs (2.67 digs/set), 10 service aces and three solo blocks. Koerber tallied two double-doubles (kills-digs), including posting a career-high 16 kills (3.2 kills/set) and 11 digs in the match against Shippensburg. For her efforts over the weekend, Koerber was named the first East Coast Conference Player of the Week.

THE VULCANS
California (Pa.) comes into the Wildcat Den Classic with a perfect 3-0 record after topping West Virginia Wesleyan, Ohio Dominican and Bloomsburg in a trio of 3-2 victories at their California (Pa.) Vulcan Invitational last weekend. The Vulcans are averaging 10.6 kills and 13.8 digs per set through three matches. Sophomore right side Elisa Rugiero tallied a double-double (kills-digs) in each match over the weekend, and leads the team with 42 kills (2.8 k/s) and ranks second on the team with 40 digs (2.67 d/s). Senior middle Alayja Floyd leads the Vulcans at the net with 15 total blocks.

SERIES HISTORY
Cal has a 3-1 series record over the Wildcats. The Wildcats and Vulcans last squared off on Sept. 13, 2019 where Cal came away with the 3-0 win. Daemen's only win in the series was in 2016.

THE SENATORS
Davis & Elkins had a tough start to the 2023 season, dropping all four matches at the season-opening UVA-Wise Cavalier Classic to come into this weekend with an 0-4 record. The Senators averaged 9.5 kills per set with just a 0.46 hitting percentage through the first four matches, while allowing their opponents to average 12.1 kills per set. Fifth year middles Brianna and Brittany Portley lead the team with 25 kills each, with both sisters totaling double-digit kills against Johnson C. Smith in the tournament finale on Saturday. Brianna Portley leads the team with 14 blocks on the year, and senior middle Katie Beth Caudill ranks second on the team with 10 blocks.

SERIES HISTORY
Davis & Elkins has a 2-1 series lead over Daemen, but the Wildcats posted a 3-0 win over the Senators in the last meeting on Sept. 14, 2019.

THE PANTHERS
Ohio Dominican went 2-1 on the weekend at the California (Pa.) Invitational, dropping their only match of the weekend to the host Vulcans on Friday. ODU out-hit their opponents 14.4 to 9.8 over the first weekend of play, hitting at a .249 clip on the season. A pair of sophomores lead the Panthers offensively, with outside Jenna Peters and right side Ashely Aselage each totaling 37 kills after three matches. Junior outside Lauren Lucas has 36 kills after an impressive double-double 19-kill, 10-dig performance against Cal. Sophomore middle Grace Zinchuk leads the team with 12 of ODU's 23 total blocks.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen owns a 4-3 series record over the Panthers. The two teams played seven times from 2001 to 2008, but have not squared off on the court since ODU picked up the 3-0 win over Daemen on Sept. 27, 2008.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats will travel to Long Island to play in the Adelphi Volleyball Tournament next weekend. Daemen will play four matches over the course of Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 16, starting with Friday's 10 AM match against Quincy.

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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