HACKENSACK, N.J.- In what may go down as the biggest upset in the inaugural season of NEC men's volleyball, FDU knocked off conference-leading Daemen in four sets at Stratis Arena. The win improves the Knights to 6-17 (3-7). Before tonight, Daemen had a NEC record of 11-1.

Needing a win to extend their playoff hopes, FDU came out with a ton of energy early. Right out of the gate, they leapt to an 11-7 lead. This forced Daemen into a timeout and set the tone for how the rest of the night would go. Out of the timeout Daemen went on a run to tie the match at 16. However, it was the Knights having the final word as Ethan Young and Jamal Ellis Carballo ripped off four straight kills to put the set away, 25-21.

In the second frame, the Knights continued to take it to Daemen. In the blink of an eye, they took an 11-4 lead. Rui Fernandes continued to disperse the attacks, and create some of his own, as the Knights did not skip a beat the rest of the set. They won it 25-14 and led 2-0 in the match.

Daemen did find some much-needed energy in the third set. They were able to keep pace with FDU in a set that was eventually tied at 17. The rest of the way Daemen kept trading two points for one as they grasped onto a steady advantage. They'd win the set 25-23 to extend the match into a fourth set.

FDU did not let the dropped set disrupt their upset bid. Thanks to kills from Ethan Young and Jamal Ellis Carballo, they immediately shook off the third and led 4-1 in the fourth. From there, the Knights were in cruise control. Daemen never cut the deficit closer than two as FDU completed the upset. They won the final set 25-20.

This was the Knights most balanced showing of the entire season. The Knights had 52 kills with a .417 hitting percentage. Jamal Ellis Carballo was responsible for 19 of those. The freshman also included three aces and three blocks in his performance. Ethan Young was extremely efficient, matching his season-high of 14 kills. Rui Fernandes spread the offense out nicely totaling 38 assists, but also pitched in with four kills. The attack was set-up all night by the passing of Grady Hoffman, who had four digs and four assists.

The Knights will take on D'Youville tomorrow at 4pm in a match that has major NEC Championship implications. While the Knights do not control their own fate, they cannot afford a loss. A win would increase their chances of qualifying for the Championship quarterfinal round. Stream the match on NEC Front Row.