ATTLEBORO, Mass. – After posting an undefeated regular season record against conference opponents (12-0) this spring, the Endicott men's volleyball team will enter the 2015 NECC Tournament as the top seed and will host the #4 seed Newbury on Friday night at 4:00 p.m. for semifinal action. Endicott currently owns a 15-11 overall record and claimed victories in both regular season meetings with Newbury this season.
The winner of #1 Endicott (15-11, 12-0 NECC) and #4 Newbury (9-14, 6-6 NECC) will face the victor of the second semifinal between #2 Southern Vermont (16-9, 10-2 NECC) and #3 Regis (11-15, 7-5 NECC) on Saturday, April 11th at 3:00 p.m. in the NECC Championship.
Since joining the NECC for the 2012 season, Endicott has enjoyed a 47-1 record against NECC opposition during the regular season over four years with back-to-back championships in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. After a first round exit in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, Endicott garnered their first NCAA postseason win by upsetting nationally-ranked MIT in straight sets in the 2014 NCAA First Round to reach the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Gulls would fall to the eventual national champions Springfield in the next round.
In 2015, Endicott swept both regular season meetings with Newbury by beating the Nighthawks 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-18) back on February 18th before winning in four sets (25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 25-16) on March 14th. Junior outside hitter John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.) excelled in both games for a combined 26 kills, a .208 hitting percentage, 14 digs, and five block assists.
Going into Friday's action, Endicott has won six of their last seven matches while Newbury has lost three of their last four. Endicott is 24-10 all-time against Newbury, 12-3 against the Nighthawks at home, and 7-0 under third-year head coach George Chapell. Newbury's last win over Endicott came on April 9th, 2011, a 3-1 win for the Nighthawks in the ECAC Division III North Championship match.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP DATES AND FORMAT
Four team single elimination tournament
Friday, April 10, 2015 (matches played at #One Seed Endicott College)
4:00 PM - #4 Newbury vs #1 Endicott
6:00 PM (or 40 minutes after completion of the first match) - #3 Regis vs #2Southern Vermont
Saturday, April 11, 2015 (match played at #1 Endicott)
3:30 PM - Championship Game
