Wildcats & Highlanders Meet Saturday In Keystone State

1/23/2026 12:45:00 PM

PUT IT IN NEUTRAL
The Daemen men's volleyball team heads to The Keystone State for a neutral site match with the NJIT Highlanders Saturday as part of the Red Flash Invitational hosted by fellow Northeast Conference member St. Francis University. The Wildcats are looking for their first win of the season, and have played a difficult schedule to date with losses to No. 10 UC San Diego and No. 4 Pepperdine, as well as Mount Olive and Charleston (W.Va.). Saturday's match is the first-ever meeting between Daemen and NJIT.

SNOW DAY
A large scale winter storm forecast for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States this weekend has forced a change to the Daemen University men's volleyball team's schedule this weekend. Daemen's scheduled match with Queens University (N.C.) on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the Red Flash Invitational hosted by St. Francis University (Pa.) has been cancelled. The winter weather will prohibit Queens from making the trip to Loretto, Pa. for the four-team event.

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.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Peter Leicht was named the Northeast Conference Men's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for Jan. 12-18. Leicht registered 12 total blocks in Daemen's two matches last week, both played as part of the Charleston (W.Va.) Invitational. After posting four total blocks Friday against UMO, Leicht recorded a career-high eight blocks (seven assisted, one solo) in Saturday's tournament finale against the host Golden Eagles. Through four matches this season, Leicht leads Daemen with 15 total blocks, and is averaging a team-best 1.07 blocks per set. Leicht's Defensive Player of the Week selection marks the first weekly accolade of his career.

PRIME PERFORMER X2
Redshirt sophomore right side Patrick Mullen has been named to the Northeast Conference Prime Performer list in each of the first two weeks of the season. Through four matches this season, Mullen leads Daemen with 45 kills, and is averaging 3.21 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .129. Mullen notched a season-high 14 kills vs. Charleston on Jan. 17.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
The NJIT Highlanders were picked second in the EIVA preseason coaches' poll after posting a 14-13 overall record with an 8-4 mark in league play in 2025. Two players - junior libero Diego Lopez and senior middle blocker Andrew Fedmasu - were selected as EIVA Players to Watch in the preseason. The Highlanders are off to a 2-5 start this season, but four of their five setbacks have come against nationally ranked opponents, including two losses to No. 2 Hawaii. NJIT is coming off a successful weekend, picking up their first wins of the campaign with back-to-back defeats of Jessup.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's match marks the first-ever meeting between Daemen and NJIT.

UP NEXT
Daemen makes its 2026 home debut next Tuesday, Jan. 27 when the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks come to town for a 6 p.m. first serve.

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