The top-seeded Daemen College women’s volleyball team defeated second-seeded Molloy College 3-1 to capture the program’s first-ever East Coast Conference Championship on Nov. 10. The Wildcats, now 21-10 on the season, will represent the ECC as the league’s automatic qualifier for the upcoming NCAA Division II Championship.
“I want to congratulate head coach Stephanie Albano and our women’s volleyball team for their run to the East Coast Conference Championship this past weekend,” said Traci Murphy, director of athletics. “The perseverance and passion they have displayed all season really revealed itself in front of some great crowds at Lumsden Gymnasium as they accomplished the first of their team-oriented goals. It was great to be there to witness this historic achievement for the program and our department. We wish them luck as they continue their season in the NCAA tournament.”
With the ECC tournament win, the women’s volleyball team has been awarded the No. 3 seed in the 2018 NCAA Division II East Region Championship scheduled for Nov. 15-17 at Charger Gymnasium on the campus of the University of New Haven. The Wildcats will face No. 6 American International College in the opening round.
This year’s historic ECC Championship victory came in Daemen’s second appearance in conference tournament play in just three years of competing at the Division II level. The Wildcats previously qualified for the ECC Championship in 2016, advancing to the finals before falling to second-seeded New York Institute of Technology. The Wildcats went on to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Championship and advanced to the regional finals that season.