SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Daemen University men's volleyball team (4-7, 0-0 NEC) secured a straight-sets victory over American International College (1-8, 0-0 ECC) with scores of 25-19, 25-18, 25-23 at Henry Butova Gymnasium on Sunday. The Wildcat attack was highlighted by a .403 hitting percentage, while Daemen also recorded six service aces in the road win.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Junior outside hitter Jack Rooney (Lakeview, N.Y.) led the Wildcats offensively with 10 kills on 16 attacks to hit at a .563 clip while adding two blocks for 12 points on the day.
- Sophomore Jonas Drum (Hamburg, N.Y.) totaled 11 kills on 19 attacks for a .421 hitting percentage along with seven digs.
- Redshirt sophomore Eddie Kwarciak (Grand Island, N.Y.) finished with seven kills while freshman Jeremiah Laird (Canandaigua, N.Y.) totaled five kills and four blocks.
- Junior Bradyn Winters (Coraopolis, N.Y.) totaled 27 assists and six digs on the day.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The opening set saw the Wildcats establish early momentum against American International, starting with a kill by Eddie Kwarciak. Daemen took advantage of multiple attack errors from AIC to go up 5-1. Consistent performances by Jonas Drum and Jack Rooney helped Daemen maintain their edge. The Wildcats capitalized on a series of service errors from the Yellowjackets and Brody Montgomery delivered the final blow with a kill from Rocco Lucci's setup, securing a 25-19 first-set victory for Daemen.
- Drum recorded multiple kills to open the second, including back-to-back points that pushed Daemen's lead to 7-3. Winters consistently set up scoring opportunities, assisting on several key plays, including a kill by Rooney at 22-17. Jeremiah Laird contributed with a decisive kill to reach set point, and a service error from American International gave Daemen the set win, 25-18.
- Laird made a strong impact early in the third for Daemen, contributing to a 3-0 start with two consecutive blocks. Despite AIC's attempts to close the gap, Daemen maintained a slight edge. Rooney added to the Wildcats momentum with multiple kills, extending their lead to 16-13. Montgomery stepped up towards the end of the set, recording decisive kills to fend off a late rally from the Yellowjackets and secure a 25-23 set victory for the Cats.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats return to Lumsden Gymnasium next weekend for non-conference matches against Dominican (Friday, Feb. 20) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Saturday, Feb. 21).