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Daemen is going big to open its season.
Daemen as part of revealing its 2024 regular season schedule on Tuesday announced it will open the season with a non-conference road match against the defending MIVA champions Ohio State on Jan. 7.
This will be the first meeting all-time between the Wildcats and the Buckeyes.
The Wildcats in their inaugural season as a NEC member finished 2023 in second place in the conference and were ranked No. 5 in the Division II National Coaches Poll. Daemen also had non-conference victories against Princeton to open the season and against CSUN in March.
Outside attacker Zach Schneider highlights the returning starters for the Wildcats. Schneider, the 2023 NEC Player of the Year and finalist for the Division II National Player of the Year, ended last season in the nation’s top 20 with both a 3.83 kills per game average and a .361 attack percentage.
Ohio State in 2023 won its first MIVA championship in six years and defeated King in the NCAA Tournament opening round. Among the starters returning for the Buckeyes includes Jacob Pasteur who was the MIVA Player of the Year and the winner of the Karch Kiraly Award as the nation’s top outside attacker.
This season opener will be the first of two non-conference matches Daemen will play against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.
Daemen also will play Grand Canyon on Feb. 3 as part of a non-conference event at Harvard.
Daemen 2024 regular season schedule
Jan. 7 at Ohio State
Jan. 13 at Roberts Wesleyan
Jan. 17 vs. Dominican
Jan. 18 vs. Harvard
Jan. 20 vs. American International
Jan. 25 vs. Warner
Feb. 2 vs. UC Santa Barbara (at Harvard)
Feb. 3 vs. Grand Canyon (at Harvard)
Feb. 4 at American International
Feb. 8 vs. D’Youville
Feb. 9 vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
Feb. 16 at Sacred Heart
Feb. 17 at Merrimack
Feb. 23 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
Feb. 24 vs. Long Island
Feb. 29 at D’Youville
March 5 vs. Thomas More
March 8 vs. Tusculum
March 22 at Saint Francis
March 23 at Saint Francis
March 29 at Long Island
March 30 at Fairleigh Dickinson
April 6 vs. Roberts Wesleyan
April 12 vs. Merrimack
April 13 vs. Sacred Heart