Springfield, Mass. – The 2022 season ended for the defending East Region champion Daemen University women's volleyball team in the NCAA Division II East Regional today, with seven seed Saint Anselm upsetting the two seed Wildcats 3-0 (23-25, 22-25, 17-25) in the quarterfinals. Daemen moves to 5-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with today's loss.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS WITH ELI IRIZARRY, VANESSA KULIGA & JASMINE BRUNDAGE (Daemen starts at 7:00)
Daemen was out-killed 48 to 41 in the match, with Saint A's finishing with a .353 hitting percentage compared to .200 for the Wildcats. The Hawks topped Daemen in almost every category on the day, out-blocking the Wildcats 5-1, out-digging 50-47, and out-assisting 42-39.
In Eli Irizarry's first season at the helm, the Wildcats finish the season with a 20-6 record. Daemen won their second straight East Coast Conference regular season and championship titles this season, finishing 10-0 in ECC play to go undefeated in conference play for the second consecutive season.
"I felt like overall, our players came out hot, came out firing, came out strong overall, came here with a goal, came here ready to play, but at the same time Saint A's was also ready. Every single team here was ready, ready to compete, ready to win, and fortunately for Saint A's, everything was going well for them, they were getting kills, they were better with the ball, just everything was going well on their side, so it was unfortunate in the end, but I think that our girls did a good job during the match," Eli Irizarry said postgame.
"I think Saint Anselm played a very scrappy game, they were very defensive and played really tough, and that's something we definitely could have picked up, and sadly we just couldn't get the job done," junior libero Jasmine Brundage said postgame. "I think we came in with a target on our backs, and Saint A's got that."
"We had a target on our backs, we were the reigning champs from last year, but nothing is guaranteed for us and we knew that coming in. Saint A's just did put up a really good match and they beat us in every category. We did the best that we could," junior middle blocker Vanessa Kuliga said postgame. "Overall, we had a really good season, we were able to come back here and prove to everyone that we have potential."
This was the final match in a Daemen uniform for graduate student Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.) and seniors Jordan Martin (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Mickaley Monahan (Saline, Mich.), Loren Alberts ( and Shelby Kersten (Alden, N.Y.). The four seniors were a part of the first ever Elite Eight Wildcats team in 2021 and back-to-back ECC Championship teams, and earned a 64-29 record over four seasons. Logan played on three NCAA Tournament teams (2018, 2021, 2022), and leaves Daemen after being a part of 85 Wildcat wins and 40 losses.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Second Team All-Region middle blocker Vanessa Kuliga (Glenview, Ill.) tied for the most kills on the team with 10 kills (3.33 kills per set) and just one error for a .500 hitting percentage. Kuliga finished the season with 160 kills (2.16 kills per set) for a team-high .330 hitting percentage, a team-high 41 blocks (0.55 kills per set) and a team-high 31 aces (0.42 aces/set).
- Junior outside hitter Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) finished with 10 kills for a .471 hitting percentage. In her first season at Daemen, she ranked third on the team with 171 kills (2.31 kills per set) for a .298 hitting percentage and added 20 blocks on the year.
- ECC Player of the Year and First Team All-Region outside hitter Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.) totaled 6 kills against the Hawks and added a service ace and seven digs on the day. In her senior season, Burns ranked second on the team offensively, knocking down 233 kills (3.33 kills/set) for a .217 hitting percentage. She finished third on the team with 226 digs (3.23 digs/set).
- First Team All-ECC outside hitter Sam Logan (Eden, N.Y.) played in her final match in a Daemen uniform, capping off a successful graduate season with 6 kills and 12 digs against Saint Anselm. She added an ace and a solo block in her final match. Logan played in 25 of 26 matches on the year, finishing with a team-high 241 kills (3.01 kills/set) and 266 digs (3.33 digs/set) to rank second on the team. She finished third on the team with 25 service aces, and totaled 17 blocks on the year.
- ECC Co-Setter of the Year Olivia Alessi (East Aurora, N.Y.) finished with 39 assists (13 assists/set), one kill, a service ace and three digs in the match. She totaled 573 assists on the season to average 9.55 assists per set in her junior season, and finished second on the team with 28 service aces on the season.
- Sophomore middle Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.) tallied six kills and just two errors for a .333 hitting percentage. She tallied 137 kills on the year (1.85 kills/set) and ranked second on the team with 30 blocks.
- Second-Team All-ECC libero Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.) finished with 18 digs (6.0 digs/set) and added a kill in the match. She led the team with 287 digs on the season (3.99 digs/set) in the 22 matches she appeared in.
- Senior defensive specialist Mickaley Monahan (Saline, Mich.) totaled six digs in her final match in a Daemen uniform. She recorded the best season in her four-year Daemen career, finishing her senior season with 214 digs (2.93 digs/set) and 23 service aces.
GAME NOTES
- The Wildcats and Hawks traded points throughout the match, keeping either team from going on a long run of any sort.
- Prior to today, Daemen had only dropped the first set in four matches this season (in matches vs. Fairmont State, Roberts Wesleyan, Gannon and Saint Rose). Today's 23-25 first set loss was the first for the Wildcats since Oct. 21.
- The Wildcats recorded zero blocks in the first set.
- Saint Anselm out-killed the Wildcats 34 to 30 through the first two games.
- Giraud recorded 5 kills in the second set.
- Two Daemen players earned Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) All-East Region team honors today. Maggie Burns was named to the First Team All-Region, and Vanessa Kuliga was named Second Team All-Region.
- With today's loss, the Wildcats are now 5-4 in the NCAA Tournament in program history. Daemen came into today's match as the defending East Region champions.
THANK YOU, SENIORS
"One of the reasons I immediately accepted this role, I expressed right after Tampa [the site of Daemen's loss in the Elite Eight in 2021] was that I knew I wanted to be here at Daemen because of a few things, but top one, top two being the seniors," Irizarry said of the program's five seniors that played in their final match today. "I knew that having them be a part of the program, they knew what they were doing, everyone listens to them, they have respect, but I also have a great relationship with them, so it was a no-brainer for me. They had a huge impact on this team, not just last year but also this year. They were extremely helpful not just with the team, but with us the staff and me as well as the head coach. It was a no brainer that a lot of the success we had this year was because of them, but I also gave them a huge thanks for sticking around, wanting to be a part of this. First year head coach, first year GA, a new start on the staff. They mean a lot, the entire team will always have a piece of my heart because it was my first year and we had a great season, so very lucky to have those five seniors on the team."
- Sam Logan finished her five-year Daemen career ranked 10th in program history with 992 total kills, just shy of hitting 1,000. She averaged 2.55 kills per set in the 119 matches that she played in, and totaled 958 digs. Logan earned First Team All-ECC honors this season for the first time in her career. In 2021, she was named to the AVCA All-Region team, the NCAA Region All-Tournament Team, as well as picking up Second Team All-ECC last year. She played on three ECC Championship and NCAA Tournament teams, and played a major role in helping the Wildcats to the program's first East Region title during last season's historic Elite Eight season. She earned ECC Player of the Week honors twice in her career.
- Jordan Martin finished with a career-high 81 kills this season, averaging 2.01 kills per set in the 32 matches that she appeared in. Martin finished her three-year Daemen career with 147 total kills to average 2.01 kills per set, and added 196 digs (2.68 digs/set). A transfer from the University of Southern Indiana, Martin totaled a career-high 17 kills on senior night against Roberts Wesleyan en route to the Wildcats winning their second straight regular season title. She played in 73 total sets as a Wildcat.
- Mickaley Monahan put together her best season as a Wildcat in her senior year. The defensive specialist finished with a 214 digs (2.93 digs/set) in her senior season, including a season-high 30 digs against Roberts Wesleyan on senior night that earned her ECC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in her four-year career. Monahan totaled 394 digs as a Wildcat, averaging 1.76 digs/set, and finished with 58 service aces.
- Loren Alberts worked all season to come back from tearing her ACL in the ECC Championship game in 2021. The middle blocker played in only 13 sets over five matches this year and totaled 14 kills, as well as nine total blocks on the year. Alberts totaled 240 kills over her four-year career, and added 90 total blocks as a Wildcat. She played her final match in a Daemen uniform against Saint Anselm today and added her final kill of her collegiate career against the Hawks.
- Shelby Kersten played in 20 sets over eight matches in her senior season, totaling 25 kills to average 1.25 kills per set and added seven total blocks in her senior season. Kersten appeared in 23 matches over her four-year career, knocking down 48 kills (1.12 kills/set) for a .190 hitting percentage. She finished with 19 total blocks, seven of those coming in her career-high senior season.
"This program is going to be so different without them, that's all I can say," Brundage said of the five seniors.
"We had five seniors, so we're losing a really big group this year. They've just done so much for this program, they've helped all of our freshmen. I remember coming in, they were so helpful for me. It's going to be so different," Kuliga said. "It's going to be so different, we're going to miss a big part of our team, but it's just time for new people to step up and continue carrying on that role and playing for the seniors that we lost."
Provided by the Daemen Sports Information Department.
