AMHERST, N.Y. – The Daemen University women's volleyball team moved to 2-0 in East Coast Conference play with a 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16) victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College on Sunday afternoon. Daemen, who has won 36 straight regular season conference matches since Nov. 10, 2019, moves to 9-3 on the year. The Spartans drop to 4-8 overall and 0-2 in ECC matches.
13 Wildcats saw playing time in the match, with freshmen
Olivia Urbon (Chicago, Ill.),
Avery Craig (Tomball, Tex.) and
Vera Tops (Senigallia, Italy) all making their Lumsden Gymnasium debut today. Nine Daemen players recorded kills as the Wildcats out-hit STAC 53 to 35 in the match and finished with 12 service aces and nine total blocks.
The Wildcats hit the road next weekend to play at Queens and Molloy on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6, respectively.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Junior outside hitter Nahirka Malpica (Caguas, P.R.) led the Wildcats offensively today, finishing with 13 kills and four errors on 33 attacks for a .273 hitting percentage. The reigning ECC Player of the Week totaled six digs, four aces and one solo block for a team-high 18 points.
- Graduate student Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) totaled 10 kills on 30 attacks, adding four digs, one solo block and two block assists.
- Sophomore Amelia Gonzalez (Juan Diaz, P.R.) made an impact for the Wildcats today, posting a season-high nine kills with just two errors on 19 attacks for a .368 hitting percentage. The middle blocker added four digs, three block assists and one solo block for 11.5 points on the day.
- Freshman right side Payton Gaylor (Bowmanville, Ont.) and Urbon each tallied six kills on the day. Gaylor finished with one solo block, two assisted blocks, one assist and one dig, while Urbon posted a career-high 16 digs and added two aces, one assist and one block assist.
- Senior setter Avery Dole (Summerfield, N.C.) totaled 24 assists and added five digs and three aces. Sophomore setter Molly Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.) finished with 13 assists, three aces and five digs.
- Graduate student libero Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) posted 15 digs, seven assists and one kill.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- After trading points to open up the match, the Wildcats went on a 13-6 run that featured nine Wildcat kills to take a 21-14 lead over the Spartans. Daemen took the first set, 25-16 after totaling 13 kills for a .375 hitting percentage in the set.
- Daemen kicked off the second on a tear, opening the set scoring eight of the first 11 points. The Wildcats led by as much as seven, 12-5, but from there STAC went on two separate six-point runs to take a 19-18 lead over the Cats late. The Wildcats came back to bring the game within two, but STAC took the second, 25-22. Five different players recorded kills for the Wildcats in the set.
- The Spartans opened the third set up 4-1 but not for long. Daemen went on a 12-4 run to take an 11-7 lead in the middle after nine Wildcat kills, three apiece from Urbon and Malpica. The Wildcats and Spartans battled it out throughout the rest of the set, with each team going on three point runs and keeping the game close. Urbon closed out the set with an ace, taking the third 25-22.
- The Wildcats handled the fourth, never allowing STAC to come closer than three points, and finished with a 25-16 fourth-set victory to take the match, 3-1.
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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