She was one of Behrend’s rare two-sport athletes. Danielle Bemis, a starter and three-time All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) selection in volleyball, also played three years for the women’s basketball team. 

After transferring from Clarion following her freshman year, she quickly established herself on the volleyball court, garnering AMCC Newcomer of the Year honors. Bemis racked up 423 digs and 247 kills on the year, helping the Lions finish 10-2 in the conference and second in the overall standings. 

The first season with the volleyball team proved she was on her way to becoming one of the best players in program history. As a sophomore in 2001, Bemis led Behrend to its first-ever AMCC Championship and a 22-10 overall record. She earned All-AMCC second team accolades, producing 388 digs, 253 kills and 52 aces. 

Bemis’ star continued to rise in her junior and senior seasons. In 2002, she had a season-best 363 kills and surpassed the 1,000 career-digs mark with 482. Her final year, Bemis reached 1,000 kills in a 3-1 win over Pitt-Bradford, becoming the third player in school history to accomplish this feat. She went on to break the program records for kills (1,125) and digs (1,776). For a second straight year, Bemis was recognized on the All-AMCC first team, while being chosen Team MVP and earning the Herb Lauffer Leadership/Scholarship and the Faculty Athletic Representative awards. 

The honors did not stop there. Bemis was presented with two of the most prestigious Behrend Athletic awards, the James Frye Female Athlete of the Year and John Zahniser Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. 

While Bemis’ focus was on volleyball, she also helped the women’s basketball team reach the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and the ECAC Tournament in 2003. Her senior year, Bemis averaged 7.0 points and 1.6 rebounds.