D1 Match of the Week: Merrimack Defeats Daemen in Four Sets
The Daemen Wildcats traveled to North Andover to take on the Merrimack Warriors for KP’S D I-II Match of the Week on Saturday, March 8th. The two programs battled, and the Warriors came out on top (27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20).
Both programs are products of the recent growth of NCAA adding D I-II programs. Merrimack is currently in year three and Daemen is in the middle of their seventh season. “It feels like we are trending the right direction. They usually say it takes about three years to see a coach’s influence on a program and it feels like things are coming together. We have high aspirations as a program and it’s nice to see us taking steps towards our goals, “said Merrimack Head Coach Ray Lewis.
When Daemen started their program Don Gleason was at the helm. He recently took the PFW job, and it gave Darek Przybyl an opportunity to take over the program. Prior to being named the head coach Przybyl was the Wildcats assistant for six seasons. “My assistant coach, Michael Krueger, and I have been with this program since day one, and the transformation in physicality within our gym is remarkable compared to the early years. Our program is on an upward trajectory and will remain competitive for years. With a strong 2025 recruiting class, we are confident that Daemen will continue making its mark on the national stage. We knew from the start that facing Merrimack would be a tough battle. I have immense respect for Coach Lewis and the incredible program he has built. We only wish they were still in the NEC so we’d have the chance to compete against them again.” said Daemen Head Coach Darek Przybyl.
The Wildcats used a 6-1 run to go up 13-8 in set one and were at one point up 18-13. Merrimack made a push to only trail the Wildcats 19-18. The Warriors found themselves down late in the set 23-20 and had some timely points from outside hitter Logan Whitaker. With the Warriors down 23-24 Whitaker had a big block and later recorded an ace to help lead his team to a 27-25 set win. “Logan was clutch for us. He is a stalwart of our offense and continues to be reliable in big moments. We value his leadership and work ethic,” said Coach Lewis.
In set two the Warriors came out hot and jumped out to an 11-6 lead. At the start of the set, brothers Isaiah and Kai Vogal had some key blocks and provided good service pressure. The Wildcats weathered the storm and started chipping away. They took the lead late in the set. The Warriors made a late push, but it was Daemen that took set two 25-22. Coach Przybyl spoke highly about how his team never gives up and has the maturity to come to win sets if they are down early. “We have a relentless team that never backs down. Our practice gym is highly competitive, pushing us to elevate each other daily and grow stronger together,” said Coach Przybyl.
Early in set three both teams were exchanging points. The Warriors went on a 7-2 run to open up a 17-12 lead. Merrimack held the momentum and won the set 25-22. For set four the teams were again knotted up early at 10’s. Merrimack continued the theme of playing better for longer periods of time. They jumped out to a 16-11 lead and never looked back, winning the set and match 25-20.
For the Warriors Whitaker came up clutch in key moments, he finished the match with 18 kills, three blocks and two aces. Sophomore Reece Lindstrom ran an effective offense and finished with 41 assists. Freshman Ephraim Abhulime recorded 10 kills out of the middle and hit a sizzling .615. “I thought it was a great match. It’s fun to see such high caliber of volleyball being played in the Northeast. Daemen is a solid team, it was a great win for the program,” said Coach Lewis.
The Wildcats were led by Redshirt Junior Billy Wieberg who had five aces, eight digs and a match high 18 kills. Sophomore Bradyn Winters dished out 32 assists. Graduate student Zach Schneider and freshman Patick Mullen both contributed six kills. “Billy has truly stepped into a leadership role and elevated his game to the next level. His dedication and commitment have been outstanding, and we’re all excited to see him shine during conference play,” said Coach Przybyl.
Daemen fell to 9-4 after the match and saw their five-match winning streak come to the end. “We knew from the start that facing Merrimack would be a tough battle. I have immense respect for Coach Lewis and the incredible program he has built. We only wish they were still in the NEC so we’d have the chance to compete against them again,” said Coach Przybyl. The Wildcats look to get back to their winning ways on Thursday, March 20th in Fairfax, Virginia where they will play host George Mason and finish up the tournament against UC Irvine.
Merrimack earned win number seven on the season, and the following day beat Roberts Wesleyan to improve to 8-4 on the season. The Warriors will hit the road to take on St. Thomas Aquinas and Geroge Mason this upcoming weekend.
Daemen University:
Volleyball History:
– In their seventh season.
– A notable alumnus is Cameron Milligan, who is playing professional volleyball overseas in Denmark this year and he is the first Daemen men’s volleyball alum to play professionally
– Daemen plays men’s volleyball in the Northeast Conference, which is in its third year in 2025. The Wildcats are the reigning NEC Tournament Champions.
– Zach Schneider (graduate student outside hitter, #13) is playing his sixth year for the Wildcats and has been an offensive staple for the Wildcats for his entire collegiate career. He was the first player to earn the inaugural NEC Player of the Year award in 2023, Schneider is the Daemen record holder in almost every offensive category (matches played, sets played, kills, kills/set, attack attempts, aces, aces/set, digs, solo blocks and points) and has been named to the NEC First Team All-Conference for the past two seasons. He was the first Daemen player to be named AVCA All-America honorable mention (2023) and has helped the Wildcats to two wins over AVCA ranked teams (2023 vs. #12 CSUN, 2024 vs. #12 UCSB) along with numerous cracks into the AVCA top-20 over the past few seasons.
– Darek Przybyl is a first-year head coach for the Wildcats. He is the second head coach in program history and took over in the 2024-25 school year after Donald Gleason (2019-2024) left to take the head coach job at Purdue Fort Wayne. Prior to becoming the second head coach for Daemen, Przybyl was Gleason’s top assistant.
Making an impact on the community:
The Wildcats works closely with The Champion Project which hosts camps, clinics, teams, schools and community programs to make sports accessible to all kids in Western New York.
Academics:
Daemen University is a small private university located in Amherst NY that offers 25 undergraduate majors and has an enrollment of around 2500 students.
Some of the top majors are education, nursing, liberal arts, physical therapy, business, visual and performing arts.
Merrimack College:
Volleyball History:
Team was established in 2023.
First two years the program was a member of the Northeast Conference before the institution moved to the MAAC conference. Since MAAC does not offer men’s volleyball Merrimack is one of the independent men’s volleyball programs.
Ray Lewis has spearheaded the men’s volleyball program since its establishment in 2023.
Making an impact on the community:
Work with a youth organization, Friday Night Lights to provide clinics to youth in the community.
Partnered with Merrimack College for Mack Give Back and Build a Bed to give back to underserved communities.
Partner with Team Impact to provide a meaningful experience for neurodiverse youth.
Academics:
Merrimack is a private College located in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Merrimack offers over 160 undergraduate academic programs, with opportunities to major, minor, and double-major across disciplines.
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