Match #3 - University of Charleston (W.Va.) Invitational
Daemen Wildcats (0-2, 0-0 NEC) vs. Mount Olive Trojans (0-1, 0-0 CC)
Friday, January 16 | 4:30 PM | Charleston, W.Va. | Wehrle Innovation Center
Links:
Gameday Info |
Live Stats |
Watch on Mountain East TV
Match #4 - University of Charleston (W.Va.) Invitational
Daemen Wildcats (0-2, 0-0 NEC) vs. Charleston Golden Eagles (1-0, 0-0 EIVA)
Saturday, January 17 | 5:00 PM | Charleston, W.Va. | Wehrle Innovation Center
Links: Gameday Info |
Live Stats |
Watch on Mountain East TV
COUNTRY ROADS TAKE ME HOME
The Daemen men's volleyball team heads to the mountains of West Virginia where they'll participate in the University of Charleston Invitational this weekend, with matches against the Mount Olive Trojans and UC Golden Eagles. The Wildcats are coming off a season-opening trip to Southern California where they dropped a pair of matches to nationally-ranked opponents, falling at No. 10 UC San Diego (3-1) and No. 4 Pepperdine (3-0). Redshirt sophomore right side
Patrick Mullen averaged a team-high 3.14 kills per set on the SoCal trip, and was named to the Northeast Conference's weekly list of prime performers.
BACK-TO-BACK
Daemen enters the season as the two-time defending Northeast Conference champions. The Wildcats posted a 15-13 overall record in 2025, including a 4-4 mark in NEC play. Entering the NEC Championship tournament as the No. 3 seed, Daemen knocked off second-seeded LIU, and proceeded to oust top-seeded Saint Francis (Pa.) on their home floor for the second time in as many years. Their reward this time around was being the recipient of the NEC's first-ever automatic bid to the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship. The Wildcats went on to host perennial powerhouse Penn State in the opening round, falling in three sets to end their season.
ALL-CONFERENCE CATS
Daemen placed a program-best six players on the All-NEC teams last season, four of whom return to the roster in 2026. Seniors
Maverick O'Neill,
Billy Wieberg and
Kyle Zelasko, along with junior
Jariel Giraud - all Second Team All-NEC selections last season - headline the Wildcats' 14 returners, along with junior
Patrick Mullen. O'Neill is the team's most experienced player in the middle, having appeared in 54 matches over the last three seasons. He led the team with 80 blocks last season. Wieberg was the MVP of the NEC tournament, and he returns after averaging a career-best 2.84 kills per set last season. Zelasko has been the team's primary libero for the last two seasons, and he returns after leading the team with 194 digs in 2025. Giraud was limited by injury to 18 matches last season, his first as a starter, but still led the team in assists (602). Mullen will look to take his game to another level after posting 209 kills and 23 service aces last season.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
Perhaps the biggest question going into the season is how the Wildcats will fill the massive void left by the graduation of
Zach Schneider. A three-time All-NEC First Team and two-time AVCA All-America honorable mention selection, Schneider appeared in 117 matches over parts of six seasons with the Wildcats. He left as the program's all-time leader in matches played, kills (1,483), service aces (156) and digs (625).
WHAT'S NEW
The Wildcats' 20-man roster features a six-player recruiting class. The greenhorns include 6-foot-1 defensive specialist
Lucas Pynn, 6-foot-3 setter
Rocco Lucci, 6-foot-7 middle hitter/right side
Harrison Vargo, 6-foot-7 middle hitter/right side
Jeremiah Laird, 6-foot-5 outside hitter/right side
Charlie Allesi and 6-foot-6 middle hitter
Luke Sullivan.
WHERE WE HEADED?
All over the place is the simple answer. The Wildcats' 2026 schedule includes matches in eight different states - California, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and, of course, New York. After returning from the season-opening trip to SoCal, Daemen will participate in four-team events hosted by Charleston (W.Va.) (Jan. 16-17) and Saint Francis (Jan. 24-25), before making their home debut Jan. 27 against Roberts Wesleyan. A trip to Indiana in early February to face former Wildcat head coach Don Gleason and his Purdue Fort Wayne team highlights the early portion of the schedule. Northeast Conference play gets underway Feb. 27 with new member Manhattan visiting Lumsden Gymnasium. Daemen's rivalry with D'Youville takes center take in early March with the teams playing twice over a three day span (Mar. 3 at Daemen, Mar. 5 at DYU). The Wildcats visit Saint Francis for a rematch of last season's NEC Championship final on Mar. 20-21. The 2026 regular season concludes with LIU visiting Lumsden Gymnasium on Apr. 10-11. The NEC Championship tournament will be hosted by the No. 1 seed, with semifinals slated for Apr. 24 and finals on Apr. 25.
CO-FAVORITES
Daemen has been picked as the co-favorite in the
2026 Northeast Conference Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Wildcats picked up three first-place votes, and finished tied with Saint Francis University (Pa.) atop the poll. Daemen enters the 2026 campaign as the two-time defending NEC champions. LIU and FDU each received one first-place vote, and finished third and fourth, respectively, in the poll. New NEC members Manhattan and Maryland Eastern Shore occupied poll positions five and six, respectively, while D'Youville was picked seventh to round it out.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
Mount Olive returns a trio of All-Conference honorees and the Trojans were picked second in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll. The Trojans are led by third-year head coach Yigit Erkek who led the program to a 37-14 record over his first two seasons. The Trojans went 20-4 last season, including a perfect 14-0 mark in conference play, but were upset by Belmont Abbey in the final round of the Conference Carolinas Championship. Jackson Lahey, the 2025 Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American, along with 2025 Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year Luca Colombo figure to lead the way for the Trojans in 2026. UMO opened their 2026 campaign with a 3-1 loss at Penn State last Friday night.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's match marks the first-ever meeting between Daemen and UMO.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Charleston is led by second-year head coach Robert Poole and the Golden Eagles are members of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Sophomore outside hitter Kai Cousins, a first team All-EIVA selection in 2025, headlines the Golden Eagles' returners. He posted 292 kills last season - the second most for a player in a single season in UC's program history. The Golden Eagles opened the 2026 season Sunday with a 3-0 win over Lees-McRae. Sophomore opposite Xander Bomert led the way with 11 kills. UC takes on McKendree Friday night before facing Daemen to close out the four-team event Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's match marks the first-ever meeting between Daemen and UC.
UP NEXT
Daemen is back on the road next weekend for the Red Flash Invitational hosted by fellow NEC member St. Francis (Pa.), with matches slated against NJIT (Jan. 24) and Queens (N.C.) (Jan. 25).
