AMHERST, N.Y. -- Nahirka Malpica (Caguas, P.R.) and Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) of the Daemen University women's volleyball team have earned East Coast Conference weekly awards for Week Three of the women's volleyball season, the league announced on Monday afternoon. Malpica was named the ECC Player of the Week and Brundage earned Defensive Player of the Week after the pair helped Daemen to a 3-0 weekend at the Crimson Hawk Classic in Indiana, Pa. The Wildcats have been included in two of three weekly awards from the ECC. 

Malpica, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, picks up her first career Player of the Week honor after leading the Wildcats offensively over the weekend, totaling 55 kills (3.9 kills/set) and 55 digs, both of which led all ECC nominees for Player of the Week. The junior posted a double-double in all three matches, including hitting a personal-record 24 kills and 20 digs in Daemen's 3-2 win over Pitt-Johnstown in the tournament finale. Six of her 24 kills came in the fifth set against the Mountain Cats. Malpica averaged .283 over the weekend and added seven aces, six of which came against Shepherd in the first match of the tournament, and totaled three blocks on the weekend. 

A starter in all 10 matches this season, Malpica ranks third on the team offensively with 100 kills and second defensively with 112 digs while totaling 12 aces and eight blocks on the year. Malpica ranks 10th in the ECC with 2.86 kills per set and ninth in the league with 3.2 digs per set. 


Earning ECC Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week, Brundage posted a team-high 63 digs in the tournament, averaging 4.5 digs per set at the Crimson Hawk Classic. She added 17 assists, one kill and seven aces on the weekend. The 5-foot-5 graduate libero totaled double-digit digs in each match and posted a season-tying high 28 digs in the Wildcats' 3-1 win over Elizabeth City State on Friday night. Brundage posted a match-high 22 digs as Daemen took down previously unbeaten University of Pitt-Johnstown, 3-2.

The 2023 ECC Libero of the Year leads the Wildcats with 195 digs and ranks second in the league with 4.88 digs per set. Brundage leads the team with 16 aces on the year and has added 53 assists on the year.

Daemen has a 7-3 overall record on the year and returns to Lumsden Gymnasium for the first time this weekend. The Wildcats open up ECC play with a pair of home matches against Mercy University on Saturday at noon and St. Thomas Aquinas College on Sunday at 11 AM. 

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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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