Senior Weekend Up Next For Women's Volleyball

11/6/2026 11:12:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Director of Athletics Communications | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

FINAL REGULAR SEASON WEEKEND
The Daemen University women's volleyball team will host Molloy (Saturday, Nov. 7) and Queens (Sunday, Nov. 8) in the final weekend of the regular season at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats, who sit with a 14-10 overall record and 6-4 record in East Coast Conference play, are one win away from clinching a postseason berth to the ECC Tournament.

LAST WEEK'S WINS
The Wildcats put together a 2-0 week with big wins over D'Youville and Roberts Wesleyan. Daemen mounted a five-set comeback to take down the Saints 3-2 (17-25, 25-23, 24-26, 28-26, 15-9) on Wednesday after out-blocking D'Youville 11-7 in the win while serving up 13 aces to DYU's 8. Sophomore middle blocker Jolie Faw posted a season-tying high 10 kills on 19 attacks to hit .316 in the win, adding three block assists, two digs and one ace. Junior outside hitter Avery Craig (Tomball, Tex.) hit 10 kills with just two errors to post a .320 percentage along with a team-high four aces and seven digs. Junior outside hitter Olivia Urbon (Chicago, Ill.) totaled a season-high 9 kills along with a season-high 14 digs on the night, adding two aces and a season-high four blocks. Freshman Etana Murray (Binghamton, N.Y.) led the Wildcats at the net with seven blocks, adding four kills and two digs. Senior setter Maddie Schamaun (Rockville, Md.) finished with 17 assists, eight digs, one block and one ace. Senior setter Molly Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.) played in the final three sets of the match and totaled 11 assists, chipping in three kills, one ace and three blocks, including the game winner.

Daemen made the trek down I-90 to beat longtime rivals Roberts Wesleyan in a 3-1 (25-17, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19) victory on Sunday. The Cats finished with a season-high 56 kills and hit .259 while holding the Redhawks to 41 kills and a .140 clip. Craig totaled 15 kills and a season-high 20 digs, adding two block assists and an ace for a match-high 17 points. Urbon finished with nine kills and just two errors on 16 attacks for a .438 hitting percentage, chipping in three aces and eight digs. Junior libero Jarielys Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) posted a team and season-high five aces, 10 digs and three assists. Senior middle blocker Amelia Gonzalez (Juana Diaz, P.R.) totaled seven kills with no errors on 12 attacks to hit at a .583 clip, adding three blocks and three digs. Schamaun finished with 25 assists, one ace and five digs, while Ryan chipped in 23 assists, five digs and two kills.

WEEKLY AWARDS
For the first time this season, freshman Etana Murray was named the ECC Rookie of the Week after an incredible nine block, eight kill week. The freshman middle blocker posted a career-high seven blocks in the five-set win against D'Youville on Wednesday, adding four kills, two blocks and one assist. She followed that up with two blocks and four kills with zero errors on seven attacks for a .571 hitting percentage in the 3-1 victory over Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday. It marks the first weekly award for Murray, and the fifth ECC Rookie of the Week honor for the Wildcats this season. Audrey Johnson (Mequon, Wisc.) has earned the award four times this season.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS
With the final weekend of the regular season on the line, the race for the postseason is still on! Undefeated Mercy still leads the conference with a 10-0 record and has clinched the ECC regular season title and hosting privileges for the ECC Tournament next weekend. D'Youville (7-3) just punched their ticket on Wednesday night with a win over Roberts Wesleyan. Daemen (6-4), Molloy (6-5) and St. Thomas Aquinas (5-6) are the final teams vying for a spot in the playoffs. A win over Molloy or Queens this weekend will punch the Wildcats' ticket to the ECC Tournament.

1. Mercy*: 10-0
2. D'Youville*: 7-3
3. Daemen: 6-4
4. Molloy: 6-5
5. St. Thomas Aquinas: 5-6
T6. Roberts Wesleyan: 1-9
T6. Queens: 1-9

* = clinched ECC tournament berth

REGIONAL RANKINGS
The Wildcats are ranked eighth in the latest NPI rankings with games played through Nov. 4, the NCAA announced on Wednesday. The three conference tournament winners will automatically advance to the NCAA Tournament, then the NCAA will use NPI rankings to determine the five at-large bids for the regional tournaments.

Daemen WVB seniors

THANK YOU, SENIORS!!
Prior to Daemen's season finale against Queens on Sunday, the Wildcats will honor four senior players for Senior Day celebrations.

#3, Maddie Schamaun: After transferring to Daemen from Division I Stonehill College before the 2025 season, Schamaun has played two years as a Wildcat, appearing in 151 sets over 44 matches. With over 750 assists in the past two seasons, Schamaun recorded her 1,000th career assist earlier this season in Daemen's five-set win over Saint Anselm on September 11th. She has paced the Wildcats this season with 482 assists, ranking third in the ECC with 5.48 assists/set while adding 175 digs, 26 aces, 16 kills and four blocks while totaling six double-doubles (assists-digs) on the year. Her favorite memory from her Daemen career was playing in the ECC Tournament last season.
WVB seniors in 2025

#6, Kate Trueblood: A four-year player for the Wildcats, Trueblood has played in 141 sets over 47 matches, totaling 111 kills, 74 blocks, 46 digs and 11 aces. She put together her best season in her junior campaign when she totaled 61 kills, 48 blocks, 11 aces and 27 digs. Trueblood's favorite memory over her four year career is beating Adelphi to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2023.

#8, Molly Ryan: Ryan has appeared in 212 sets over 60 matches in her three-year playing career at Daemen, totaling 693 assists, 255 digs, 128 kills, 66 aces, and 43 blocks. She served as Daemen's primary setter in her sophomore season where she totaled 381 assists, 136 digs and 44 aces. During her junior and senior seasons, she has been a Swiss Army knife, serving as a setter and also a right side hitter. Ryan's favorite memory from her college career was getting the opportunity to play volleyball with her sister, Abby, again at Daemen in 2024.

#14, Amelia Gonzalez: Playing in 180 sets over 51 matches in her four-year Daemen career, Gonzalez has totaled 137 blocks, 176 kills, 85 digs and 23 aces. She currently sits seventh-all time in blocks per set at 0.76 over her career. Gonzalez's senior season has been a breakout year for the middle blocker, totaling 67 blocks, 79 kills, 43 digs and nine aces. Her favorite memory from her college career is having the opportunity to play the sport she loves alongside people who have become lifelong friendships.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
Coming into the weekend with a 11-14 overall record and 6-5 record in ECC play, Molloy is coming off a 2-3 loss over St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday. The Lions average 10.8 kills per set and are led by senior outside hitter Erin Stanley who averages 3.23/set (317 total), good for fourth in the ECC. Freshman right side Kailie Girard ranks second on the team and 10th in the conference with 2.4 kills/set, while ranking ninth in the league with a .210 hitting percentage. Senior setter Hayden Riddle is second in the league with 0.55 aces/set. Daemen is 22-9 all-time to the Lions but lost the previous matchup, 2-3, to the Lions two weeks ago.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
After opening the 2026 season with a victory over Post, Queens lost 11 straight matches from Aug. 28 to Sept. 12 before collecting a non-conference win over Georgian Court. The Knights sit tied for sixth in the ECC with a 1-9 record, with their lone win coming in a 3-1 decision against Roberts Wesleyan on Oct. 3. Since then, the Knights have dropped nine straight, including a 2-3 loss to the Redhawks on Saturday. Averaging 9.0 kills per set this season, Queens is led by freshman outside hitter Zoe Sercu who ranks ninth in the ECC with 2.76 kills/set (237 total). Junior libero Asuka Shibue ranks second in the league with 3.23 digs/set. The Wildcats are 21-5 all-time against the Knights and have won the past four matchups against Queens, including a 3-0 sweep over the Knights two weeks ago.

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