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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Women's Volleyball Celebrates After Point At UIndy Invitational
3
Winner Indiana (PA) IUP 1-0,0-0 PSAC
0
Daemen Daemen 0-1,0-0 ECC
Winner
Indiana (PA) IUP
1-0,0-0 PSAC
3
Final
0
Daemen Daemen
0-1,0-0 ECC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Indiana (PA) IUP 26 25 25 (3)
Daemen Daemen 24 23 20 (0)
0
Ky. Wesleyan KWC 0-2,0-0 G-MAC
3
Winner Daemen Daemen 1-1,0-0 ECC
Ky. Wesleyan KWC
0-2,0-0 G-MAC
0
Final
3
Daemen Daemen
1-1,0-0 ECC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Ky. Wesleyan KWC 19 25 13 (0)
Daemen Daemen 25 27 25 (3)

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

Wildcats Split Friday At UIndy Invitational

INDIANAPOLIS, In. – The Daemen University women's volleyball team split the first day of the UIndy Invitational on Friday, first falling 0-3 (24-26, 23-25, 20-25) to Indiana University Pennsylvania then topping Kentucky Wesleyan College in a 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 25-13) victory.
 
MATCH #1: DAEMEN VS. IUP
 
The Wildcats dropped their 2024 season opener in a close 0-3 match against the Crimson Hawks, with each set coming down to the very end. Daemen out-hit IUP 45 to 33 on the day, but the Wildcats' 26 hitting errors was the difference compared to IUP's nine. A pair of Daemen hitters in graduate transfer Abby Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and graduate right side Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) each tallied double-digit kills, with Ryan leading all hitters with 15 and Giraud adding 12.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • In her first match as a Wildcat, graduate student outside hitter Abby Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.) led Daemen offensively and tallied a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs while adding an ace and an assist for a match-high 16 points.
  • Graduate student right side Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) totaled 12 kills on 25 attacks for a .400 hitting percentage along with two assists and one block assist.
  • Senior middle hitter Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.) totaled six kills and added two digs and an assist.
  • Junior outside hitter Nahirka Malpica (Caguas, P.R.) posted five kills and led the Wildcats defensively with 13 digs while adding one ace.
  • In her Daemen debut, senior setter Avery Dole (Summerfield, N.C.) totaled 30 assists (10 assists/set), five digs, two aces and one kill.
  • Graduate student libero Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) totaled 12 digs and three assists.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The Wildcats won four of the first five points of the first set off back-to-back kills from Ryan and Giraud. The Crimson Hawks went on a 9-6 run through the middle of the set to make it a one-point game, 16-15. From there it was a back-and-forth race to the end. The Wildcats took it to set point first with a big block from Trueblood and Giraud to make it 24-23, but IUP would take the first set, 26-24, after a kill, ace and Daemen attack error.
  • Daemen and IUP each tallied 13 kills in the first set with the Crimson Hawks hitting .243 and the Wildcats hitting .154 after totaling seven attack errors. Ryan led the Wildcats offensively in the first with seven kills on 15 attempts.
  • After trading points to open up the second set, Daemen's dynamic offense went on the attack with a 7-2 run on kills by six different Wildcats to take a 12-7 lead. The Crimson Hawks followed up with a run of their own to tie it up at 15, but four back-to-back errors by IUP gave Daemen the 19-15 advantage. Like in the first set, the Crimson Hawks surged at the end, posting three consecutive blocks and adding two kills to take it to set point, 24-22. Giraud posted a kill to make it 24-23, but IUP finished the second set off with a kill to take it, 25-23.
  • The Wildcats out-hit the Crimson Hawks 16-8 in the second set, but IUP totaled eight blocks at the net. Giraud and Malpica each posted five second-set kills for the Wildcats.
  • Daemen kicked off the third set on a 7-2 run with Ryan and Giraud each knocking down three kills apiece. The Crimson Hawks then put together an 8-1 run of their own to jump to a 10-8 lead over the Wildcats. IUP led by as much as 16-11 in the third set, but Daemen went on to score eight of the next 11 points off five Wildcat kills to tie the game up at 19. From there, the Crimson Hawks scored six of the last seven points to win the set, 25-20 and take the match 3-0.
  • Daemen finished with 16 kills in the final set with Ryan totaling six of those for the Wildcats.
  • The Wildcats finished out-hitting 45 kills with 26 errors on 127 attacks for a .150 hitting percentage. IUP hit 33 kills with just nine errors on 105 attacks to hit at a .229 clip in the match. As NCAA Division II's top blocking team in 2023, the Crimson Hawks out-blocked Daemen 13 to 1.  
MATCH #2: DAEMEN VS. KENTUCKY WESLEYAN
 
The Wildcats earned their first win of the season with a 3-0 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan College on Friday afternoon. Daemen totaled 42 kills for a .326 hitting percentage while holding the Panthers to 22 kills and hitting .056 in the match. Giraud and Ryan each tallied double-digit kills for the second straight match.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Giraud led all hitters with 11 kills on 23 attacks for a .304 hitting percentage in the match.
  • Ryan followed up a big first match in a Daemen uniform with a 10-kill performance, adding seven digs, two block assists, one solo block and two aces for a match-high 14 points.
  • Armstrong posted eight kills on 13 attacks with two errors for a .462 hitting percentage, adding a match-high six block assists and one dig.
  • Freshman right side Peyton Gaylor (Bowmanville, Ont.) totaled five kills with no errors on 11 attacks for a .455 hitting percentage, adding two block assists in the victory.
  • Brundage totaled 19 digs and five assists.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The Wildcats and Panthers traded points to open the match and were tied up at eight a piece. From there, Daemen went on a 7-3 run with five kills to take a three-point lead over KWC. The Panthers would put together a run of their own to tie the game up at 15, but Daemen wrapped up the first set winning 10 of the final 14 points to win their first set of the season, 25-19.
  • Six Daemen players totaled 13 kills in the first set with Armstrong leading the way with four.
  • Daemen and Kentucky Wesleyan traded points throughout the entire second set. Down 20-17, the Panthers went on a five point run to take a 22-20 lead over the Wildcats, but from there Daemen scored four unanswered points to get to set point, 24-22. KWC staved off set point and scored the next three to go up, 25-24. Daemen responded with kills from Malpica and Armstrong and a bad Panther set to win the second, 27-25.
  • Ryan totaled five kills and Armstrong and Giraud each tallied four kills in the second as Daemen posted 18 kills for a .455 hitting percentage.
  • The Wildcats opened the third set on a tear, going up 7-1 early and never letting the game get close. Daemen outhit the Panthers 11 to 5 in the third set to win 25-13 and sweep the match.  
UP NEXT
Daemen will play a pair of matches against Maryville (9 AM) and Tiffin (3 PM) on Saturday to wrap up the UIndy Invitational. 
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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