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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Patrick Mullen goes for the kill against USC
Cary Qian
1
Daemen Daemen 0-1,0-0 NEC
3
Winner UC San Diego UCSD 2-0,0-0 Big West
Daemen Daemen
0-1,0-0 NEC
1
Final
3
UC San Diego UCSD
2-0,0-0 Big West
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Daemen Daemen 17 25 18 15 (1)
UC San Diego UCSD 25 21 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications/Operations | 716-839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

Wildcats Battle with 10th-Ranked UC San Diego in Season Opener

LA JOLLA, CA. – The Daemen University men's volleyball team opened its 2026 season in The Golden State, taking on No. 10 UC San Diego on Friday night inside LionTree Arena. The Wildcats suffered a 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 25-15) setback to the nationally-ranked Tritons.

The match was the first of two consecutive contests against AVCA Top 10 programs as the Wildcats gear up a defense of the 2024 and 2025 NEC Titles.

IMPACT PLAYERS

  • Redshirt-sophomore right side Patrick Mullen (Farmingdale, N.J.) led all players with 13 kills on the night.

  • Senior outside Billy Weiberg (Grand Island, N.Y.) followed with seven kills, six digs, and two service aces to fill the stat sheet.

  • Junior setter Jariel Giraud guided the offense with 22 assists, and senior defensive specialist Kyle Zelasko had a team-high nine digs on the back row.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • The 10th-ranked Tritons opened with a 25-17 victory in the first set, as both teams struggled offensively in the first action of the 2026 season. UC San Diego hit just .120, while Daemen hit .077. The Wildcats committed eight costly service errors in the set.

  • Daemen responded with a 25-21 win in set two, outhitting UCSD .231 to .040 and committing just four attack errors. Mullen had six of his team-high 13 kills in the set.

  • UC San Diego took sets three and four by scores of 25-18 and 25-15, respectively, to complete the victory.

  • The Tritons hit .234 as a team and had eight total blocks, holding Daemen to a .085 hitting mark in the contest.

  • Friday's season opener saw both teams show rust from the service line as the two sides combined for 47 service errors.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats remain on the West Coast for a Sunday afternoon clash with No. 4 Pepperdine in Malibu.  The match is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. (PST) first serve and will be streamed live online via B1G+.

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 Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenMVB


 
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