AMHERST, N.Y. — D'Youville (13-12, 6-3 ECC) fell to Daemen (13-10, 5-4 ECC) in a five-set battle on Wednesday, 3-2 (17-25, 25-23, 24-26, 28-26, 15-9).
The Saints finished with 48 kills and a .143 hitting percentage, holding Daemen to a .116 mark. Cameron Ulinski led D'Youville with 17 kills, while Madeline O'Brien added 13 kills and four service aces.
D'Youville controlled the opening set with a 7-0 run, turning a 7-4 advantage into an 11-point lead. O'Brien contributed a service ace during the stretch, while Giselle Ramirez, Gabrielle Dials and Ulinski helped fuel the Saints' attack. D'Youville maintained its advantage to take the first set, 25-17.
Daemen responded in the second set, overcoming a late push from the Saints to even the match at one set apiece with a 25-23 win. Ulinski recorded key kills down the stretch as D'Youville erased a three-point deficit and briefly moved in front, but the hosts claimed three of the final four points.
The Saints regained the lead with a 26-24 victory in the third set. After Daemen erased a four-point deficit to tie the score at 24, O'Brien delivered a kill to put D'Youville back in front before a Daemen attack error secured the set for the Saints.
D'Youville mounted another comeback in the fourth set, using a seven-point run behind O'Brien's serve to turn a 14-13 deficit into a 19-14 lead. O'Brien recorded two aces during the stretch, while Ulinski added a kill and Ramirez contributed a block. The Saints later held a 23-17 advantage and fought off multiple set points, but Daemen closed out a 28-26 win to force a deciding fifth set.
In the final frame, D'Youville opened with a 3-0 lead behind consecutive Ulinski kills and a service ace from Ashley Ballou. Ramirez added a kill and teamed with Ulinski for a block as the Saints pulled within 9-8. Daemen responded with a late run, scoring the final three points to secure the match, 15-9.
Ulinski finished with 17 kills and 18.5 points, while O'Brien contributed 13 kills, four aces and 17.5 points. Ballou recorded 37 assists, 11 digs, two service aces and three blocks. Angelyn Jaramillo led the Saints defensively with 17 digs and added three assists.
Up next: D'Youville returns home to host Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m.
