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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Abby Ryan goes for the kill against D'Youville in ECC Semifinals
Geoff Schneider
3
Winner D'Youville DYO 12-15,7-5 ECC
2
Daemen Daemen 17-8,9-3 ECC
Winner
D'Youville DYO
12-15,7-5 ECC
3
Final
2
Daemen Daemen
17-8,9-3 ECC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
D'Youville DYO 25 19 25 21 15 (3)
Daemen Daemen 20 25 21 25 11 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Director of Athletics Communications | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

Saints Upset Wildcats In ECC Semifinals

AMHERST, N.Y. – In front of a rowdy Western New York crowd that featured schools that are just 10 miles apart, the top-seeded Daemen University women's volleyball team was upset by No. 4 seed D'Youville University, 3-2 (20-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-21, 11-15) in a thrilling five set East Coast Conference Semifinal game on Friday night. The Wildcats, who have won the past three ECC Tournament titles, will not advance to the ECC Championship game for the first time since 2019. Playing in the ECC Tournament for the first time in program history, D'Youville will play the winner of the second semifinal game between #2 Queens College and #3 Mercy University in the title game on Saturday.
 
Daemen moves to 17-8 on the year. The Wildcats are ranked second in the East Region in the latest NCAA Division II Regional Rankings, released on Wednesday, and will await their seeding in the upcoming NCAA Division II Tournament in the Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 PM on NCAA.com.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • ECC Libero of the Year for the third time in her career, graduate student Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) finished with 23 digs, five assists and two aces on the night.
  • A First Team All-ECC honoree, graduate student right side Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) led the Wildcats with 18 kills on 39 attacks with just three errors for a .385 hitting percentage while adding seven digs with one block assist.
  • After earning First Team All-ECC earlier this week, graduate student outside hitter Abby Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.) totaled 16 kills and 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season while adding two aces, two solo blocks and an assisted block for a match-high 20.5 points. Ryan is one kill away from her 1,000th.
  • Senior middle hitter Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.) posted 15 kills with just four errors on 32 attacks for a .344 hitting percentage in her final game at Lumsden Gymnasium. Armstrong added a team-high three solo blocks, a team-high four assisted blocks and three digs for a 20 point outing.
  • Sophomore setter Molly Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.) finished with a double-double for the fifth time this season after posting 24 assists, 10 digs, two kills and two aces.
  • Senior setter Avery Dole (Summerfield, N.C.) totaled 23 assists, five digs, one ace and one kill.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The Wildcats opened on a 7-3 run, but from there the Saints scored seven of the next eight points to take a lead over the Cats that they held onto throughout the set. Daemen kept the game close, bringing within two points, 20-18, but the Saints would take the first set 25-20. Giraud led the Wildcats with four kills in the set.
  • D'Youville continued their run early in the second, taking an 8-5 lead over the Wildcats until Daemen scored four straight off kills from Payton Gaylor (Bowmanville, Ont.), Giraud and Ryan and an ace from Dole. After being tied up at 11, the Cats scored seven of the next eight points to jump out to an 18-12 lead. D'Youville made a late run but the Wildcats held on to take the second, 25-19.
  • After Daemen kicked off the third with a 5-2 advantage, the Saints won 11 of the next 12 points to put together a commanding 14-6 lead. Daemen went on an 8-6 run from there off three Giraud kills and two kills from Ryan to bring the game within six, 20-14. On D'Youville set point, the Wildcats won the next five to bring it within three, 24-21, but the Saints closed out the third with a Daemen attack error, 25-21, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
  • Daemen led as much as 14-7 in the fourth set until the Saints went on a 10-3 run to tie it up at 17. The Cats won eight of the final 12 points and capped off the set with an ace from Ryan to take the fourth 25-21 and force a fifth! Ryan tallied six kills of Daemen's 12 fourth-set kills. The Wildcats hit .243 in the fourth.
  • The Wildcats took an 8-6 lead in the fifth set after three kills from Armstrong. After switching sides, D'Youville took control of the match, winning nine of the final 12 points off four kills and five Daemen errors to win the fifth set, 15-11 and take the match 3-2.
 GAME NOTES
  • Daemen out-hit D'Youville in four of the five sets and finished with 60 kills while holding the Saints to 48 kills.
  • The Wildcats are 11-2 all-time against the D'Youville. The Saints went 2-1 over Daemen this season.
  • Daemen holds a 8-3 record in ECC Tournament matches since joining the league in 2015.
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.
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