Match #19
Daemen Wildcats (7-11, 3-2 ECC) vs. D'Youville Saints (5-12, 2-4 ECC)
Wednesday, Oct. 22 | 7 PM | Buffalo, N.Y. | Saints Center
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RIVALRY RENEWED
The Daemen University women's volleyball team returns to action following a 10-day hiatus as the Wildcats make the short trek to Buffalo's west side where they'll face the D'Youville Saints at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Wildcats are 12-2 all-time vs. D'Youville, and will be looking for the sweep of their annual regular season series after defeating the Saints in four sets at Lumsden Gymnasium back on Oct. 1.
A WEEKEND SPLIT
The Wildcats have been idle since earning a split of road matches at St. Thomas Aquinas (W, 3-2) and Mercy (L, 3-0) over Columbus Day weekend. It started with the Wildcats surviving a scare from the upstart STAC Spartans, thanks in large part to the play of freshman outside hitter/right side
Keira Mullen who powered down a season-high 20 kills with a .415 hitting percentage. A day later, Mullen was it again, finishing with a match-high 15 kills, albeit in a losing effort against the league-leading Mercy Mavericks. The loss was just Daemen's third in an ECC road match since the start of the 2021 season, moving their record to 22-3 in such matches.
TOUGH SLEDDING
Daemen has played a difficult schedule thus far. Teams responsible for the Wildcats' 11 losses have combined for a 141-64 record (.688 winning percentage) this season. With a combined winning percentage of .552 for all opponents, Daemen's strength of schedule ranks 70th out of the 284 NCAA Division II teams this season, and fourth among all East Region institutions. Only Bentley (.621, 14th), Franklin Pierce (.604, 33rd) and Adelphi (.553, 68th) have a higher strength of schedule among East Region teams.
LAST TIME VS. DYU
Daemen picked up a 3-1 win (25-13, 25-23, 15-25, 25-21) when they last met D'Youville (Oct. 1 at Lumsden Gymnasium). The Wildcats owned a 49-41 edge in kills, led by 28 combined kills from Keira Muller (17) and
Nahirka Malpica (11). Malpica added a team-high 15 digs, and
Avery Dole chipped in with 19 assists and eight digs.
SCOUTING THE SAINTS
After winning the program's first ever ECC Championship last season, the Saints were picked second in this year's preseason coaches' poll. But, the Saints will enter Wednesday's match on the outside looking in, sitting in fifth place in the ECC standings. First-year head coach Allison Post, who played at Daemen from 2018-21, has been reliant on sophomore outside hitter Cameron Ulinski who ranks fifth among the ECC leaders in kills per set (3.06). The Saints feature one of the ECC's top serving teams, ranking second in service aces per set (2.25), but are allowing 11.23 kills per set and a .221 hitting percentage to opponents this season.
SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats are 12-2 all-time against D'Youville. Both Daemen losses came last season as the teams split their regular season. The Saints beat Daemen 3-2 in the ECC Championship semifinals en route to winning the ECC tournament.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats return to Lumsden Gymnasium to host the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks on Wednesday, Oct. 29 with first serve set for 6 p.m.
