NEC Champion Wildcats To Host Penn State In First-Ever NCAA Tournament Match

Winner Advances To National Quarterfinals

4/27/2025 4:30:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications/Operations | 716-839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. - For the first time in program history, the Daemen University men's volleyball team is headed to the NCAA Men's Collegiate Volleyball Championship as tournament bids and opening round matches were announced today at ncaa.com. The Wildcats, who defeated Saint Francis University in four sets last evening to earn an automatic bid as champions of the Northeast Conference, will host Penn State University at Lumsden Gymnasium at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 2 in the NCAA tournament's play-in match.

The winning team will be awarded the tournament's No. 7 seed and advance to the national quarterfinals to face No. 2 seed University of Hawaii on Thursday, May 8 at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Covelli Center will also serve as the site for the national semifinals (Saturday, May 10) and the national championship match (Monday, May 12).

Other national quarterfinal matches announced today include No. 1 seed Long Beach State University meeting No. 8 seed Fort Valley State University, No. 3 seed UCLA meeting No. 6 seed Belmont Abbey College, and No. 4 seed Loyola University Chicago meeting No. 5 seed Pepperdine University.

Daemen will enter the NCAA tournament with an overall record of 15-12. After posting a 4-4 mark in NEC play, Daemen entered the NEC Championship as the No. 3 seed and outlasted second-seeded LIU in a five-set thriller, before ousting top-seeded Saint Francis for the conference crown. It marks Daemen's second consecutive NEC title, while the 2025 season is the first that the NEC champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, an addition that prompted an expansion of the tournament field from eight teams to nine.

The Wildcats boast six All-NEC selections on their roster, led by graduate student Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.) who leads the team with 300 kills, ranking 16th among the national leaders in kills per set (3.80). Schneider is Daemen's all-time leader in career kills (1,474) and digs (621).

Daemen will meet a Penn State team that recently won its 37th Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championship. The Nittany Lions earned an automatic bid with their 3-0 defeat of Princeton University in the EIVA Championship finals, and enter the NCAA tournament with a record of 14-15.

A full preview and additional information related to Friday's play-in match will be announced later this week.

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 men's volleyball program on X and Instagram at @DaemenMVB.

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