Peyton Lowes sets a ball against Wilmington

Women's Volleyball Makes Home Debut Against Saint Michael's, Slippery Rock

9/18/2026 10:45:00 AM

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

WELCOME BACK TO LUMSDEN
After three weekends on the road to open up the 2026 season, the Daemen University women's volleyball team finally makes their Lumsden Gymnasium debut this week with a pair of non-conference matches. The Wildcats will host Saint Michael's of the Northeast-10 Conference on Saturday at 1 PM and Slippery Rock of the PSAC on Tuesday at 6:30 PM. Daemen comes into the weekend with a 6-6 overall record, while Saint Michael's is 1-7 and Slippery Rock is 5-6 on the year.

LAST WEEKEND
The Wildcats went 3-1 against regional opponents last weekend at the Wildcat Classic hosted by Wilmington (Del.) University. It marked Daemen's third and final tournament of the regular season. The Cats won both matches on Friday in 3-2 decisions, beating Holy Family in a comeback victory in the first match of the tournament and overcoming a 2-1 set deficit to win the final two sets against Saint Anselm. The Wildcats split Saturday, beating host Wilmington in a clean 3-0 sweep before falling 1-3 to Adelphi in the final match of the weekend. Freshman outside hitter Audrey Johnson (Mequon, Wisc.) led the Wildcats offensively on the weekend with 47 kills, totaling double-digit kills in three of the four matches. Junior outside hitter Avery Craig (Tomball, Tex.) tallied a team-high 52 digs (3.25/set) along with 34 kills on the weekend. Junior right side Payton Gaylor (Bowmanville, Ont.) totaled 45 kills while hitting .243.

WEEKLY AWARD
Johnson was named the East Coast Conference Rookie of the Week after playing a pivotal role for the Cats both offensively and defensively. She paced Daemen offensively with 47 kills to average 2.93 kills per set while hitting .233 on the weekend. The freshman outside hitter totaled double-digit kills in three of the four victories for the Wildcats and added 27 digs and eight aces on the weekend. Johnson had a career-high 16 kills along with a career-high 14 digs for her third double-double in Daemen's 3-2 comeback victory against Saint Anselm on Friday, adding a team-high six aces in the win. She also hit in the double figures against Holy Family (14 kills) and Adelphi (11 kills).

HOME, SWEET HOME!
Since the abbreviated 2020 season, Daemen has dominated at home, putting together a 43-14 record in front of their Lumsden Gymnasium crowd. The Wildcats went 4-6 at home last season in head coach Kaysie Shebeneck's first season at the helm.

UP NEXT
After Tuesday's match against Slippery Rock, the Wildcats have a week off before opening East Coast Conference play on the road downstate. Daemen will take on St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday, Oct. 3 (12 PM) and reigning ECC champs Mercy on Sunday, Oct. 4 (12 PM).

SCOUTING SAINT MICHAEL'S
The Purple Knights have had a tough start to the 2026 campaign, starting the year 1-7 while riding a five-match losing streak. Saint Michael's is being out-hit 8.5 to 12.4 on the year, and are led offensively by sophomore outside hitter Tessa LaFrenier with 62 total kills (2.48/set). Junior outside hitter Nora Schulze (51 kills, 1.89/set) and sophomore middle blocker Rory Tower (49 kills, 1.81/set) provide additional offense for the Purple Knights while Tower leads the team at the net with 21 blocks (0.78/set). This will be the first time Daemen and Saint Michael's meet on the court in program history.

SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK
The Rock come into Tuesday's match with a 5-6 record after playing their first two tournaments in the Midwest before hosting their own invitational last weekend where they went 2-1. Slippery Rock dropped their first PSAC match of the season in a 0-3 decision to Clarion on Wednesday. Averaging 11.5 kills per set, the Rock are led by junior outside hitter Marley Annis with 110 kills (3.24/set). Junior outside hitter Ava Haynes adds 2.26 kills/set for the Rock. Senior middle blocker Victoria Nalbach, a Williamsville, N.Y. native, leads the Rock at the net with 20 blocks on the season (0.74/set). Slippery Rock owns a 1-0 series record over Daemen at the last meeting in 2016.

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