Match #25
Daemen Wildcats (11-13, 7-4 ECC) vs. Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks (4-23, 4-7 ECC)
Saturday, Nov. 15 | 12 PM | Rochester, N.Y. | Voller Athletic Center
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REGULAR SEASON FINALE
The Daemen University women's volleyball team closes the 2025 regular season Saturday when they make the short, 60-mile trek to Rochester to face the rival Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks. The Wildcats are seeking a season sweep of the series with RWU, and also looking to rebound from last Sunday's 3-0 setback to league-leading Mercy.
POSTSEASON BOUND
Daemen is headed to the ECC Championship tournament for the eighth time in program history, and for the seventh straight season (excluding the 2020 season when there was no tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The Wildcats will be the tournament's No. 3 seed, and will face either Mercy or Molloy in the semifinal round on Friday, Nov. 21. Mercy and Molloy enter the weekend with identical 10-1 marks in conference play. They'll meet Saturday to determine the league's regular season champion and No. 1 tournament seed which also comes with hosting responsibilities. Defending tournament champion D'Youville clinched the fourth and final berth with a 3-0 defeat of Roberts Wesleyan earlier this week, and the Saints will face the No. 1 seed in the semifinals. The tournament finals is slated for a 5 p.m. first serve on Saturday, Nov. 22.
DECADE OF DOMINANCE
Daemen's 3-0 sweep of Roberts Wesleyan on Oct. 29 marked the Wildcats' 21st consecutive win over their rivals from Rochester, a streak that dates back to 2015. It ranks as Daemen's longest active winning streak against any single opponent. The Wildcats dominated at the net in their most recent victory, racking up 43 kills on a .273 hitting percentage while also totaling 12 blocks. RWU was limited to just a .043 hitting percentage.
M&M's
Freshman outside hitter/right side
Keira Mullen and senior outside hitter/right side
Nahirka Malpica continue to lead the Wildcats this season. Mullen has been a three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection. She leads Daemen with 279 kills and ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in kills per set (3.24). Mullen has recorded 10+ kills in 13 of the last 17 matches, including a career-high 20 in wins over St. Thomas Aquinas (Oct. 11 & Nov. 8) and D'Youville (Oct. 22).
Malpica, the 2025 ECC Preseason Player of the Year, is contributing both offensively and defensively, ranking sixth in both kills (2.96) and digs (2.97) per set among the ECC leaders. She is one of only two players league-wide to be in the top 10 of both categories. Malpica has picked up weekly accolades twice in recent weeks, most recently earning ECC Player of the Week honors for leading the Wildcats to a 2-1 record from Oct. 27-Nov. 2.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Freshman middle blocker Solé Rancy and sophomore
Jarielys Giraud have both impacted the Wildcats while playing in their first collegiate season. Rancy, a native of Columbus, Ohio, has registered a team-high 98 blocks this season, and leads the ECC by averaging 1.15 blocks per set. She has surpassed the program's NCAA Division II era record for blocks in a season (78 by Ye Wang in 2015 & Vanessa Kuliga in 2021), and is poised to be the first Daemen player to reach 100 blocks in a season since 2012 when Ye Wang recorded 119. Giraud, who sat out last season as a medical redshirt, is contributing 2.86 digs per set, ranking second on the squad with 200 total digs. She has posted 10+ digs in eight matches this season, including a season-high 28 in a five-set loss to Clarion on Sept. 12.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
The Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks will look to close their season on a high note Saturday, but will have to overcome some recent struggles with losses in two straight and eight of their last 10 matches. Wednesday's 3-0 setback at D'Youville eliminated the Redhawks from postseason contention as they were seeking an ECC Championship berth for the first time since 2014. Junior outside hitter Camryn Karelus has paced RWU this season (276 kills, 2.88 kills/set) is the only Redhawk averaging better than 2.00 kills per set. Defensively, freshman Alexis Kressler (3.23 digs/set) and senior Morgan Verbridge (0.72 blocks/set) have made an impact.
SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats are 40-20 all-time against RWU, and have won 21 consecutive matches in the series. The Redhawks' last win in the series came on Oct. 15, 2014.
UP NEXT
The records get wiped clean as postseason play begins. The Wildcats will trek to either Mercy or Molloy for the ECC Championship tournament, with semifinals set for Friday, Nov. 21 and finals set for Saturday, Nov. 22.
