Geoff Schneider

Men's Volleyball Heads Downstate For Matches Against LIU, FDU

3/28/2024 4:56:00 PM

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

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Daemen University men's volleyball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of Northeast Conference matches at LIU and FDU. The Wildcats come into the weekend with a 13-5 overall record and sit second in the NEC at 6-2 on the year, while LIU is third in the conference with a 5-3 NEC record and is 11-11 overall. FDU is fourth in the league at 2-4 and is 8-11 on the year.

BOUNCE BACK WEEKEND
The Wildcats are looking to rebound after dropping a pair of NEC matches at Saint Francis this past weekend. Daemen and Saint Francis came into the weekend as the last two undefeated teams in the conference, but the 2023 NEC regular season champs came out victorious over the Wildcats in the doubleheader with SFU handing Daemen their first conference loss of the regular season for the second straight year. In Friday night's contest, SFU finished 3-1 over the Cats and out-killed Daemen 47 to 44 on the night and held Daemen to a .210 hitting percentage in the loss, while the Red Flash hit .316 on the night. Fifth year outside hitter Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) led all players with 22 kills while senior opposite Cameron Milligan (Pavilion, N.Y.) added 12 kills on the day. Sophomore libero Kyle Zelasko (West Seneca, N.Y.) posted a career-high 14 digs after starting as the Wildcats' libero for the first two sets then switching to outside hitter for the final two sets where he finished with five kills and two block assists, adding two assists. Fifth year setter Sean Califf (Oak Park, Ill.) finished with his fourth double-double (assists-digs) of the season, totaling 30 assists and 14 digs while adding a team-high two aces, three block assists and one kill. In Saturday's 3-1 loss to Saint Francis, Schneider finished with 18 kills, Milligan added 11 kills and three blocks, and junior Maverick O'Neill (East Amherst, N.Y.) finished with seven kills and three blocks. Califf totaled 34 assists and six digs, while graduate student Michael Krueger (Canonsburg, Pa.) recorded a season-high 16 digs for the Wildcats. Daemen out killed the Red Flash (44-40), but the Wildcats committed 21 hitting errors (16 over the final two sets) and finished with a .211 hitting percentage. The Wildcats remain winless (0-6) against the Red Flash all-time.

WEEKLY HONORS
Krueger and Schneider picked up NEC Prime Performer honors after big weekends on the court. Krueger was outstanding defensively for the Wildcats against the Red Flash this weekend, totaling 25 digs to average 4.2 digs per set. The graduate student played the final two sets on Friday night and tallied nine digs, and was the starting libero for the Wildcats on Saturday, totaling a season-high 16 digs. Schneider was named a Prime Performer for the sixth time this season after averaging 5 kills per set, totaling 40 kills over the weekend. The fifth year led all players with 22 kills and a .364 hitting percentage in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Red Flash, adding six digs, one ace and one assist. On Sunday, Schneider finished with a team-high 18 kills, seven digs and two assists.

HIGH FLYING FRESHMAN
Daemen freshman middle blocker Ondrej Arabasz (Jicin, Czech Republic) has had a big rookie season for the Wildcats, leading the Cats at the net with and ranking second in the league with 0.90 blocks per set. Starting in all 18 matches this season, Arabasz's 55 total blocks so far this year sits third in the Daemen single-season record books in blocks. He currently ranks third on the team in kills (97) and leads the team with a .482 hitting percentage.

CAPTAIN CALIFF
Califf continues to impress in his second season as a Wildcat. Through eight conference games this season, the fifth-year setter leads the league in assists (9.93 assists/set) and has set Daemen to a league-high 12.61 kills per set -- 353 total kills -- in NEC matches. Califf has totaled 527 assists on the year and added four double-doubles (assists-digs) as well as leading the team in digs with 113 (2.02 digs/set).

UP NEXT
The Wildcats will play a pair of matches against Roberts Wesleyan next week, first traveling to Rochester to play at Roberts on Thursday, April 4 at 6 PM then hosting the Redhawks on Saturday, April 6 at 4 PM.

THE SHARKS
As the reigning NEC Tournament champions, LIU was picked as the top team in the 2024 NEC Coaches Poll. The Sharks come into Friday night's games with an 11-11 overall record and a 5-3 conference record and are riding a seven-game win streak after dropping their first match at Daemen on Feb. 24. LIU currently sits in third place in the NEC behind Saint Francis and Daemen. 6-foot-5 sophomore opposite Kale Spencer leads the Sharks offensively, totaling 178 kills (2.62 kills/set) and is second on the team with 47 blocks and 18 aces. 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter Gio Collazo is second offensively for the Sharks with 146 total kills (2.56 kills/set) and a team-high 22 aces while adding 86 digs (1.51 digs/set) and 35 blocks. 6-foot-3 2023 First Team All-NEC senior outside hitter Livan Moreno ranks third on the team with 2.37 kills/set, while 6-foot-7 graduate middle blocker Arthur Sueur leads the Sharks at the net with 65 total blocks (0.89 blocks/set), the third-most in the league.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen is 4-1 all-time against the Sharks and picked up a 3-0 sweep over LIU in the first meeting this season.

THE KNIGHTS
FDU comes into this weekend with an 8-11 overall record and a 2-4 record in NEC play. The Knights average 11.2 kills per set with a .226 hitting percentage and are led offensively by 2023 First Team All-NEC opposite Jamal Ellis Carballo. The 6-foot-6 sophomore leads the league with 4.06 kills/set and ranks fifth nationally with 9.02 attacks per set, and ranks sixth in the NEC with 0.35 aces per set (17 total). 6-foot-2 junior setter Jose Angarita ranks fourth in the conference with 9.15 assists per set, while 6-foot-3 senior outside Ethan Young ranks second on the team offensively (2.79 kills/set) and is seventh in the NEC with 1.7 digs/set.

SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats own a 3-1 record over the Knights and topped FDU 3-1 in the first meeting at Lumsden Gymnasium this season.

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 men's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenMVB.

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