LORETTO, PA. – For the second consecutive year, the Daemen University men's volleyball team advanced to the championship match of the Northeast Conference Men's Volleyball Championship with a 3-2 win over #2 seeded LIU in the semifinal round of the tournament Friday afternoon at DeGol Arena.
With the win, the Wildcats improved their record to 14-12 overall while LIU ended the year with an overall record of 17-9.
Daemen closed the day hitting at a clip of .205 (48-23-122) compared to .176 (46-25-119) for LIU. The 'Cats also held a slim 40-39 edge in assists and 18-16 advantage in blocks.
IMPACT PLAYERS
• Graduate student
Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) led Daemen in kills with 15 while redshirt junior
Billy Wieberg (Grand Island, N.Y.) added in 10 of his own.
• Sophomore
Jariel Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) tallied 30-or-more assists for the fifth consecutive game with 35 helpers of his own. The sophomore setter also tallied a team-best 15 digs as well.
• At the net, redshirt freshman
Patrick Mullen (Farmingdale, N.J.) totaled a team-best six blocks (one solo, five assists) and added 10 kills in his first postseason appearance.
• Senior Maverick O'Neil (East Amherst, N.Y.) registered a match-high two aces to aid in the Wildcats winning effort.
• Kale Spencer led LIU with 16 kills while Alex Weinhaud notched a match-best 16 digs in the loss. At the net, Isaac Benka tied the match-high in total blocks with six (one solo, five assists) as well.
PHOTO GALLERY
GAME NOTES
• In a back-and-forth opening set, the Wildcats and Sharks found themselves tied 22-22 after a LIU service error. The Sharks were able to recover as Benka and a Daemen attack error forced a Daemen timeout and moved the Sharks to within one point of claiming the set victory, 24-22. Out of the break, the Wildcats got a point back off a Mullen kill, but an ensuing attack error sealed the first set win for the Sharks and put them ahead, 1-0.
• Tied 10-10 midway through the second set, the Wildcats took the lead for good as a Mullen kill ushered in a 4-1 spurt that put the 'Cats in the lead, 14-11. Despite a late push from the Sharks that cut the Wildcats lead to just three, 22-19, Daemen scored three of the final four points of the set, with Mullen tallying his fifth kill of the match, to seal the 25-20 set victory and tie the match, 1-1.
• The 'Cats continued to roll in the third set as an early Schneider kill began a 12-6 run that put Daemen ahead by five, 14-9. Daemen never slowed down and used an 8-3 run later in the stanza and locked up the 25-15 set three victory and move to within one of the match victory, 2-1. Schneider paced the Daemen attack with five kills during the third frame as well.
• LIU was able to stave off elimination in the fourth set as they used multiple long scoring runs, highlighted by an 11-5 spurt in the middle of the frame, to take the set, 25-15 and tie the match 2-2. The Sharks hit at a clip of .389 (10-3-18) compared to .000 (8-8-23) during the fourth stanza.
• Down 2-4 to begin the fifth set, the Wildcats claimed the lead for good as another Schneider kill opened up a 6-1 run for Daemen that sent them ahead 8-5 at the media timeout. Out of the break, the Wildcats continued to roll as they rattled off five of the next six points as a Weiberg kill made it a 13-6 contest and forced an LIU timeout.
• The Sharks took a point back after of the timeout due to a Daemen attack error, but a pair of back-to-back LIU attack errors sealed the 15-7 set victory for Daemen and punched their ticket back to the NEC Championship match tomorrow.
• Today was the second meeting between Daemen and LIU in postseason play.
POSTMATCH COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH DAREK PRZYBYL
UP NEXT
Daemen will face the winner of #1 seeded Saint Francis (Pa.) or #4 seeded FDU tomorrow at 5 p.m. The winner will earn the leagues automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
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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