Match #17
Daemen Wildcats (6-10, 2-1 ECC) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans (3-11, 0-2 ECC)
Saturday, Oct. 11 | 12 PM | Sparkill, N.Y. | Spartan Athletic Complex
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Match #18
Daemen Wildcats vs. Mercy Mavericks (7-3, 2-0 ECC)
Sunday, Oct. 12 | 12 PM | Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. | Neil Judge Student-Athlete Center
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ROAD TRIPPING
The Daemen University women's volleyball team makes its first East Coast Conference road trip of the season this weekend with matches slated against the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans and the Mercy Mavericks. Daemen is off to a 2-1 start in ECC play, with wins in their last two conference matches against D'Youville (3-1 on Oct. 1) and Queens (3-0 on Sept. 28). The Wildcats are 21-2 in ECC road games over the last four last seasons.
LOOKING TO REBOUND
The Wildcats come into the weekend looking to snap a two-match slide. Most recently, Daemen suffered a 3-0 setback against perennial Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Atlantic Region powerhouse Gannon this past Tuesday evening.
Nahirka Malpica accounted for 10 of Daemen's 26 kills in the match, while setters
Maddie Schamaun and
Avery Dole combined for 17 assists and 10 digs.
TOUGH SLEDDING
Daemen has played a difficult schedule thus far. Teams responsible for the Wildcats' 10 losses have combined for a 103-47 record (.687 winning percentage) this season. With a combined winning percentage of .551 for all opponents, Daemen's strength of schedule ranks 76th out of the 284 NCAA Division II teams this season, and third among all East Region institutions. Only Bentley (.593, 40th) and Franklin Pierce (.573, 58th) have a higher strength of schedule among East Region teams.
M&M'S
Nahirka Malpica and
Keira Mullen continue to pace the Daemen offensive attack this season. Malpica leads the team with 197 kills and ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in kills per set (3.28). Mullen isn't far behind, totaling 169 kills and ranking fifth in the conference for kills per set (2.91).
GETTING DEFENSIVE
On the defensive side of the ball, freshman middle blocker Solé Rancy and sophomore defensive specialist
Jarielys Giraud have made an impact for Daemen this season. Rancy is one of just two players in the ECC to be averaging at least 1.0 blocks set; she ranks second among the league leaders (1.03 blocks/set). Giraud has carried the weight in Daemen's back row, averaging 3.02 digs per set (4th among ECC leaders), with help from
Nahirka Malpica (2.67 digs/set, 9th in ECC).
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
STAC enters the weekend looking to snap a four-match skid and pick up their first win since Sept. 26 at Caldwell. The Spartans are coming off a pair of defeats last Saturday when they fell to Adelphi (3-0) and Assumption (3-1) in non-conference action. Freshman outside hitter Adriana Zarceno has paced the STAC offense this season, accounting for nearly 25% of their total kills while ranking third among the league leaders in kills per set (3.52). Junior defensive specialist Boglarka Kiss has also contributed, both offensively and defensively, as she ranks second in digs per set (3.84) and third in aces per set (0.61) among the league leaders.
SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats hold a 5-0 edge in the all-time series with STAC. Four of those meetings have occurred since 2023 when the Spartans reestablished their program after more than a decade of non-existence. The Wildcats are 12-1 in sets against the Spartans over that span.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
After advancing to the ECC Championship finals last season - their deepest run since 2005 - the Mercy Mavericks are off to a 7-3 start this season, and they enter the weekend as one of two unbeaten teams in league play (also Molloy). The Mavericks, who host D'Youville on Friday evening, have won three of their last four matches, but are coming off a 3-2 loss at Bentley earlier this week. Mercy leads the ECC in hitting percentage (.216), blocks per set (2.35), opponent hitting percentage (.106) and opponent kills per set (8.84). The Mavericks feature the top two hitters in the conference so far this season, with senior outside hitter Gabriela Bieniek (4.87 kills/set) and sophomore outside hitter Grace Dilena (3.81 kills/set) leading the way. Both are attacking at a .254 clip or better, and Dilena is adding 0.61 service aces per set (2nd in ECC). Adriana Rivera Rodriguez runs the show from the setter position, and is averaging a league-best 9.52 assists per set, while Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes paces the Mercy defense by averaging a league-best 1.03 blocks per set.
SERIES HISTORY
Daemen owns a 19-4 advantage in the all-time series with Mercy. The teams split their regular season meetings a year ago, with Mercy's win snapping the Wildcats' eight-match winning streak in the series. The Wildcats are 7-4 all-time in road matches against the Mavericks.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats are idle until making a short trek to Buffalo's west side where they'll finish the yearly home-and-home series with rival D'Youville on Wednesday, Oct. 22. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
