BEVERLY, Mass. – The top seed in the NECC Men's Volleyball Tournament, Endicott, for the second straight season will meet Elms in the championship match after both the Gulls and Blazers advanced past their semifinal opponents on Friday evening.
Endicott (21-9) took down the #4 seed Southern Vermont (11-21) in straight sets (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) behind a combined 23 kills from right-side attackers Matt Devendorf (Glastonbury, Conn.) and Josh Anderson (La Canada, Calif.) and 41 assists from setter Carter Roche (Clifton Park, N.Y.).
The #3 seed Elms (15-13) took a 2-0 lead on #2 Daniel Webster (15-12), but the Eagles rallied to force a fifth and deciding set. The Blazers trailed in the fifth set 8-3, but seven assists from setter Kevin Welsh (Wilbraham, Mass.) helped Elms storm back to earn a gritty 3-2 (25-12, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-12) victory. Welsh finished with 47 assists in the match.
Semifinal One: #1 Endicott 3, #4 Southern Vermont 0
With a .394 team hitting percentage and nine total blocks, the Gulls were able to punch their ticket into a second consecutive NECC Championship with a 3-0 win over the Mountaineers.
Devendorf led all players with 13 kills with Anderson added 10 kills in the win. Middle hitters Mike Coniglione (Glenville, N.Y.) and Alex Wasik (Milford, Mass.) combined for 13 kills with a .545 hitting percentage with Coniglione blocking six attacks at the net.
Roche totaled 41 assists on Endicott's 47 kills and defensively added six digs, two solo blocks, and two assisted blocks. Gulls libero Aaron Jessee (Okinawa, Japan) had 12 digs with Anderson adding nine of his own.
For Southern Vermont, junior outside Anthony Barahona (Eagle Rock, Calif.) led his squad with 12 kills on 28 attempts with a .321 hitting percentage. Joey Dighton (Riverside, Calif.) added five kills and Alonzo Wright (Chula Vista, Calif.) added four more.
Sophomore setter Herson Canta (Los Angeles, Calif.) dished out 25 assists with two kills and five digs. Sophomore libero Florentino Escovedo (Fresno, Calif.) had a team-high eight digs in the loss.
Semifinal Two: #3 Elms 3, #2 Daniel Webster 2
Blazers freshman outside hitter Jeff Vautrin (Chicopee, Mass.) struck a team-high 13 kills with junior Bryson Rainey (Brookline, Mass.) adding 11 of his own and Stephen Cameron (Newington, Conn.), Angel Castro (Carolina, Puerto Rico), and Aleksandr Kuzmenko (Chicopee, Mass.) all totaling nine apiece in the win.
Cameron was a presence defensively as well with a match-high 18 digs as was Castro who had 12. Kuzmenko assisted on five of Elms' 12 assisted blocks.
Daniel Webster's Joel Hendrix (Kane'ohe, Hawaii) stuffed the stat sheet with 16 kills, 17 digs, three service aces, and three block assists while outside hitter Joe Walz (East Longmeadow, Mass.) was a factor in his team's comeback bid with 16 kills, six digs, and three assisted blocks.
Freshman middle Jose Vargas (Lawrence, Mass.) sported a .471 hitting percentage with 11 kills on 17 swings while adding five digs and two block assists.
Eagles freshman middle Darien Mason (Farmington, Conn.) was a presence at the net, blocking nine total Elms attacks including eight assisted stops.
Daniel Webster's two setters, Kyle Clement (Weymouth, Mass.) and Ariel Frias (Lawrence, Mass.) combined for 38 assists in the loss.
