ROCHESTER, N.Y. – It took five sets, but the Daemen University men's volleyball team got to bust out the brooms.
Patrick Mullen (Farmingdale, N.J.) and
Billy Wieberg (Grand Island, N.Y.) combined for 41 kills to lead the Wildcats to a thrilling 3-2 victory (25-23, 25-21, 29-31, 20-25, 15-13) over host Roberts Wesleyan University in non-conference action at the Voller Athletic Center this evening. The win pushes Daemen's record to 2-5 this season, and gives them a sweep over the rival Redhawks. Daemen defeated RWU in four sets a week ago at Lumsden Gymnasium.
RWU dropped its fourth straight match, falling to 4-6 this season. The Redhawks, members of the East Coast Conference, are an even 4-4 against Northeast Conference opponents.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- For the second straight match, Mullen recorded a career-high in kills, posting 24 on an astounding .458 hitting percentage. It's the first match by a Daemen player with at least 24 kills since Cameron Milligan posted 25 against St. Francis (Pa.) on March 25, 2023.
- Wieberg chipped in with 17 kills - one shy of his career-high - while adding five digs and seven blocks. Together, Mullen (26 points) and Wieberg (21 points) combined for 41.2 percent of Daemen's total points (47 of 114).
- Setter Jariel Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) also enjoyed a career day, producing 47 assists - two better than his previous career-high. It marked the sixth match of Giraud's career with 40 or more assists.
- Defensively, the Wildcats got key contributions from Johnaustin Bly (Lancaster, N.Y.), Kyle Zelasko (West Seneca, N.Y.) and Maverick O'Neill (East Amherst, N.Y.). Bly totaled a career-high 13 digs, and Zelasko chipped in with a season-high 11 - his 11th career match with at least 10 digs. O'Neill was strong at the net, registering a season-high nine blocks.
- Daemen also got a key service ace in the fifth set from serving substitution Eddie Kwarciak (Grand Island, N.Y.).
- RWU featured three players with double-figure kills: Paul Fillion (18), Ryan DeJohn (16) and Jayce Moore (15).
- RWU setter Landon Brouwer recorded a match-high 56 assists.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Daemen totaled 56 kills on a .224 hitting percentage, while Roberts Wesleyan posted 64 kills and attacked at a .215 clip.
- Daemen recorded a season-high 16 blocks, compared to just nine for the Redhawks.
- Daemen trailed 10-7 in the deciding set, but battled back with Kwarciak's ace knotting the score at 11-11. The set was even at 13-13 when there was a long delay as questions about the hosts serving rotation were handled by the officials. Emerging from the delay, RWU committed a hitting error, putting Daemen at match point. The Wildcats responded by going to Mullen, their go-to guy tonight, and he delivered the match-clinching kill.
GAME NOTES
- Mullen was named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer for the fourth time in as many weeks earlier today, in addition to earning his first-ever selection as the NEC Defensive Player of the Week. Through seven matches, he leads Daemen with 99 kills and is averaging 3.81 kills per set.
- Daemen is the two-time defending NEC champions, and the Wildcats were picked as the co-favorites in the NEC this season.
- The Wildcats are now 6-0 all-time against Roberts Wesleyan.
UP NEXT
Daemen will head west for two matches in Indiana this weekend - a neutral site matchup with Northern Kentucky (Saturday, Feb. 7, 6 p.m.) and a meeting with former head coach Don Gleason and his Purdue Fort Wayne squad (Sunday, Feb. 8, 1 p.m.).
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.
