Wildcats Earn Top Spot In ECC Preseason Volleyball Coaches' Poll

Defending Champions Collect Five of Six First Place Votes

8/17/2022 11:49:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. - For the second time since 2019, Daemen University sits atop the East Coast Conference Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The 2022 poll was announced this afternoon following a vote of the league's six head coaches. Daemen is the defending ECC Tournament champion and also claimed the ECC regular-season title after posting a perfect 12-0 league record last fall. It marked the first time in program history Daemen has gone undefeated in league play.

Daemen, which tied for the No. 1 spot in the 2019 preseason poll, collected five of a possible six first-place votes this year and totaled 35 points. Mercy (28 pts) picked up the other first-place vote and edged out Molloy (25 pts) for second place. The poll concludes with fourth-place Queens (17 pts), fifth-place D'Youville (12 pts) and sixth-place Roberts Wesleyan (9 pts).

For the first time since 2016, the Wildcats have a new head coach coming into the season. In June, Eli Irizarry was named the ninth head coach in Daemen program history, taking over for Stephanie Albano, who was named the 2021 East Coast Conference Coach of the Year. Albano remained within the athletic department but moved into a fully administrative role. Irizarry spent the past two seasons on the sidelines as a graduate assistant, and last year helped lead the Wildcats to ECC regular season and tournament championships and a first-ever NCAA Division II East Region Championship.

Daemen returns 12 players and five all-conference selections from last season's championship roster. The Wildcats led the league in kills per set last year and three of the top four leaders in kills from last year return in 2022. Outside hitter Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.), who collected American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region honors last year, returns as the team's top offensive threat. She tallied 281 kills for an average of 2.90 kills per set during 2021. The graduate student was also a dominant force from the service line, serving up a team-high 47 aces on the year. Junior Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) earned honorable mention AVCA All-Region last year after tallying 995 assists, while junior defensive specialist Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) returns after earning ECC Libero of the Year honors last fall. Junior middle blocker Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.), last year's ECC Tournament MVP, put together a solid sophomore season with 224 kills and a team-high 78 total blocks. Senior outside hitter Maggie Burns (Louisville, K.Y.) averaged 2.15 kills per set in her junior season, while senior middle blocker middle blocker Loren Alberts (Huntley, Ill.) racked up 59 blocks last year. Both Burns and Alberts collected all-conference honors in 2021.

Daemen, which is looking to become the first team to win back-to-back ECC Tournament titles since former league member Bridgeport did so in 2014 and 2015, opens the 2022 season by hosting the Wildcat Den Classic (Sept. 4-5). Daemen then heads to the East Region Clash tournament in Springfield, Mass. (Sept. 9-10). The Wildcats will face three teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year during the East Region Clash--highlighted by a rematch of last year's NCAA East Region Championship match between Daemen and American International. Daemen opens up ECC play at home against crosstown rival D'Youville on Sept. 22.

2022 ECC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. DAEMEN (5) - 35
2. Mercy (1) - 28
3. Molloy - 25
4. Queens - 17
7. D'Youville - 12
6. Roberts Wesleyan - 9

( ) denotes first-place votes

Daemen University eatures the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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 women's volleyball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWVB.

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