Posted: Mar 21, 2012
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CHICOPEE, Mass. – Endicott men’s volleyball hit .400 as a team behind setters Jeremy Schlosser (Emmaus, Pa.) and Carter Roche (Clifton Park, N.Y.) who directed the attack with a combined 34 assists to help lift the Gulls to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-16) sweep of Elms in Wednesday evening’s NECC contest at Picknelly Arena.
With the win, Endicott improved to 10-11 overall with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play. Elms dropped to 12-6 (4-2 NECC).
In the opening set, Endicott held a 20-13 lead before Elms’ freshman middle hitter Angel Castro (Carolina, Puerto Rico) floored a kill and the Gulls were forced into an attacking error to set the score at 20-15. After a kill and an ace by Thomas Stoeckinger (Malibu, Calif.), the Blazers crawled back to within five at 22-17. From there, a pair of kills by Jeremy Siden (Natick, Mass.) and one from Joshua Bruno (Andover, Mass.) allowed the Gulls to claim the first frame, 25-17.
At one point in the second set Endicott trailed 12-10, but the Gulls rallied to take nine of the next 10 points to hold a convincing 19-14 advantage. The Blazers would pull no closer than five points as Endicott took set two 25-18 after a kill by Brennan Lowe (Malibu, Calif.) and a Blazers’ attacking error gave the Gulls a 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third set Endicott cruised to a 24-15 lead before a service error set the score to 24-16. The Gulls completed the sweep when Lance Pepper (Torrington, Conn.) downed his third kill of the contest to seal a 25-16 third frame victory.
Siden led the Gulls with nine kills and a pair of service aces, while Bruno followed with six kills.
Stoeckinger and Matt Devendorf (Glastonbury, Conn.) finished with five kills apiece, while Schlosser handed out a team-high 19 assists and a match-best seven digs. Roche added 15 helpers, while Andrew Slocum (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) added six digs in the winning effort.
Elms’ Bryson Rainey (Brookline, Mass.) led all players with a .471 hit percentage (10K, 2E, 17TA) and recorded four digs, while Castro contributed eight kills to lead Elms’ hitters.
Junior outside hitter Stephen Cameron (Newington, Conn.) chipped in six kills, while setter Daniel Lebron (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 26 of the Blazers’ 29 assists in the contest.
The Gulls will host their annual Endicott Invitational this weekend from March 24th-25th in the Post Center Gymnasium and Field House. Endicott opens play on Saturday at 12:00 and 2:00 pm with Southern Vermont and Stevenson.
