Feb. 13, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Endicott College held Southern Vermont to a total of 25 points (8.3 points per game average), as the Gulls cruised past the visiting Mountaineers, 3-0, in a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association contest in Beverly, Massachusetts. Endicott set a program record for kills in a match, notching 56 in the win.
It didn't take long for the Gulls to open the contest, as the Blue and Green raced out to 7-0 lead to start. The Mountaineers logged consecutive points as they capitalized on back-to-back Endicott miscues. A.J. Witkofsky (Scotia, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) immediately got the Gulls back on track, as he used a fury of kills to put the hosts ahead, 15-5. Endicott closed out game one with a dominating 16-1 rally, taking the opening contest, 30-6.
The Gulls continued their early dominance into game two, as Endicott built a 7-2 advantage. The Mountaineers did their best to hang around early, as Peter Winchester (West Winfield, N.Y./Eastern York) blocked a B.J. Worth (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) kill attempt and then found a hole in the Gulls' defense, earning a hard fought point for Southern Vermont. David Olson (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) pieced together a strong serving run for the home team , pushing EC to a 17-7 advantage. With a comfortable cushion in place, Endicott cruised to a 30-10 game two win.
It was much of the same in game three, as the Gulls opened up a 6-0 lead in the early going. Southern Vermont once again did its best job to hang tough, notching four of the next seven points to cut the lead to 9-4. Endicott responded by tacking off 11-straight scores, distancing itself to a 20-4 advantage. In the end, Endicott was simply too strong for SVC, taking the game and the match, 30-9.
The Mountaineers were led by Keith Upham's (West Fairlee, Vt./Riverdell Academy) two kills. Brandon Dean (Petersburgh, N.Y./Hoosick Falls Central) chipped in two solo blocks while Ruari Clancy (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde) contributed strong defense for the visitors.
The Gulls were paced by a strong effort from B.J. Worth as the sophomore compiled 14 kills on 19 swings and also notched seven digs in the win. Zeke Kubisch (Bethlehem, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) also had 14 kills for the Blue and Green, while sophomore John Emery (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) finished the night with 10 kills for the Gulls.
With the win, Endicott improves to 6-6 overall and 3-1 in the NECVA. The loss sets the Mountaineers back to 0-7 and 0-2 in conference play. The Gulls return to action on Saturday evening as they host conference opponent Wentworth at 6:00 p.m. Southern Vermont continues the search for its first win on Saturday as well, as they take on Elms College.
