AMHERST, N.Y. -- Fifth year seniors
Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) and
Sean Califf (Oak Park, Ill.) of the Daemen University men's volleyball team have earned Northeast Conference weekly awards, as announced on Tuesday afternoon. Schneider picks up First Point/NEC Player of the Week for the first time this season, while Califf was named a Prime Performer for the second straight week. This is the third straight week that the Wildcats have been represented in the weekly NEC awards, and the fourth week this season.
Daemen went 2-0 this week, picking up a 3-1 win over Sacred Heart on Friday night and a 3-0 sweep over Merrimack on Saturday. The Wildcats are 8-2 on the year and 3-0 in NEC play, and are tied for 20th in the AVCA weekly men's volleyball poll, marking the first time Daemen has been represented in the AVCA top-20 in program history.
Schneider, the reigning NEC Player of the Year, led the Wildcats offensively in both games this weekend with 5.4 kills per set, totaling 38 kills on 74 attacks for a .362 hitting percentage. The fifth year outside hitter posted a season-high 22 kills against the Pioneers on Friday night with just five errors in 45 attacks to hit at a .378 clip and added one ace and three digs. He continued his offensive tear on Saturday with 16 kills on 29 attacks for a .345 hitting percentage and tallied six digs in the victory. Schneider leads the Wildcats offensively with 108 kills (3.72 kills/set) and ranks second on the team with 12 aces while contributing 22 digs and six blocks this season.
Califf totaled 77 assists (11 assists/set), 12 digs, three blocks, four kills and two aces in the Wildcats' 2-0 weekend. He ran the Wildcat offensive to a 52-kill performance with 45 assists and added seven kills and three assisted blocks in the 3-1 win over Sacred Heart on Friday. The fifth year setter totaled 32 assists as the Wildcats posted 45 kills for a .407 hitting percentage in the 3-0 win over Merrimack on Saturday night, adding five digs and two aces along with a season-high four kills on five attacks to hit at a .600 clip. On the year, Califf leads the Wildcats with 261 assists (9.32 assists/set) and 57 digs (2.04 digs/set) along with 16 blocks (0.57 blocks/set) and six aces.
The Wildcats return to Lumsden Gymnasium this weekend for a pair of NEC matches, taking on Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday at 6 PM and hosting reigning NEC Tournament champion Long Island University on Saturday at 1 PM.
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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