Women's Volleyball

No. 2 Daemen Drops Five-Set Heartbreaker To No. 7 Georgian Court In NCAA Women's Volleyball East Region Quarterfinals

Recap courtesy of Daemen University Sports Information

WALTHAM, MA – In an electric opening match of the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, the No. 2 seed Daemen University women's volleyball team dropped a five-set heartbreaker 2-3 (25-16, 15-25, 15-25, 25-20, 15-17) to No. 7 seed Georgian Court University in the NCAA Women's Volleyball East Region Championship quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. The Wildcats finish the 2024 season with a 17-9 overall record.

Box Score
 
The Wildcats out-killed Georgian Court 58 to 43 on the day and finished with a .229 hitting percentage in the loss. It was the final game in a Daemen uniform for four Wildcat seniors, Amelia Armstrong (River Falls, Wisc.), Jasmine Brundage (East Aurora, N.Y.), Giselle Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) and Abby Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.).
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • In her first East Regional match and final match of her five-year collegiate career, Ryan led all players with 20 kills on 42 attacks for a .333 hitting percentage. She added eight digs, two block assists and an ace.
  • Junior outside hitter Nahirka Malpica (Caguas, P.R.) totaled 13 kills and 12 digs for her ninth double-double of the year. The AVCA All-Region honorable mention honoree added three block assists, two aces and an assist on the day.
  • Playing her final game at Daemen, Giraud totaled nine kills on 21 attacks, two digs, two assists and a block assist. The graduate student right side totaled 766 kills as a Wildcat and finished her five year collegiate career with 1,261 total kills.  
  • Finishing her Daemen career ranked fourth all-time in digs, Brundage totaled 19 digs, two aces, three assists and a kill. The 2021, 2023 and 2024 ECC Libero of the Year finished with 1,856 total digs over her five year career as a Wildcat. 
  • A four-year Wildcat, Armstrong totaled six kills on 10 attacks to hit at a team-high .500 clip while adding two block assists, one ace and one dig. The senior middle capped off her Daemen career with 506 kills after appearing in 83 matches. 
  • Sophomore setter Molly Ryan (Orchard Park, N.Y.) posted 24 assists, six digs and two aces. Senior setter Avery Dole (Summerfield, N.C.) finished with 22 assists, six digs, one ace and one kill.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • After Georgian Court opened up the game on a 7-4 run, Daemen scored 13 of the next 16 points off 10 kills to take a 17-10 lead. The Wildcats would continue to keep their foot on the gas, winning six of the final seven points to take the first set, 25-16. The Wildcats out-hit Georgian Court 18 to 6 for a .429 hitting percentage in the first. Ryan got the set winning kill to the back of the court and led the Wildcats with six kills in the first set.
  • Like in the first set, the Lions got hot from the start but held onto the lead throughout the first. Up 16-8 over the Wildcats, GCU went on a 5-0 run late and led the Wildcats by as much as 10, 22-12, and finished off the set with a 25-15 victory to tie it up. The Lions out-hit Daemen 12 to 10 in the set and added four service aces and two blocks.
  • The Wildcats and Lions traded points to open the third set and were tied up at 10, but from there, Daemen was out-scored 15-5 and dropped the third set, 25-15.
  • Daemen and Georgian Court exchanged points all the way up to 17, but from there, the Wildcats scored 8 of the last 11 to take the fourth set 25-20 and send the game to a fifth set.
  • The Wildcats scored the first three points of the fifth set, but it was GCU that got to eight points first. The Lions took a 9-7 lead, but both teams continued to trade points to the end of the set. With Georgian Court on match point, 14-13, the Wildcats got to 15 off a kill from Ryan and an attack error, but the Lions would score the final three points off three Wildcat errors to win the set, 17-15, and take the match, 3-2. 
GAME NOTES
  • This marked just the second time the Wildcats and Lions faced one another on the court, and the first time since 2015. Daemen won the first meeting between the two teams.
  • Playing in the East Region Tournament for the fourth straight season and sixth time in program history, Daemen came in with a 17-8 overall record and won their fourth consecutive ECC regular season title after going 9-3 in ECC play throughout the season.
  • Georgian Court advanced to the East Region Tournament for the seventh time in program history after earning the CACC's automatic bid by winning the CACC Tournament. The 2024 regular season conference champions, the Lions entered the tournament with a 21-9 overall record.
  • Four Wildcats – Brundage, Giraud, Malpica and Ryan – earned First Team All-ECC honors this season, marking the first time in program history that Daemen placed four players on the First Team. Brundage was named the 2024 ECC Libero of the Year for the second consecutive season and third time in her five-year Daemen career.
  • Brundage, Giraud and Malpica each earned All-Region honors ahead of the East Regional Tournament. Brundage picked up Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Second Team All-East Region honors for the first time in her career. Giraud was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First Team All-Region Team, while Brundage and Malpica earned AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention honors.
  • Ryan earned her 1,000th career kill on her first kill of the game today. She came into today's quarterfinal match with 999 kills over her four years of undergrad at Robert Morris and 220 kills this season with the Wildcats.
  • Giraud finished with 1,000+ kills this season. The graduate student totaled 300+ kills in both her senior and graduate campaigns.