SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott men's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to No. 1 nationally ranked Springfield College and No. 8 Stevenson University on Saturday evening at Dana Gymnasium. The Gulls fell to the host Pride, 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-19), in the opening match of the Springfield Invitational before coming up short against Stevenson, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-17), in the nightcap.
MATCH ONE: No. 1 Springfield 3, Endicott 0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-19)
Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) paced the Gulls' offensively with a team-high 10 kills to go along with two service aces, two digs, and a block (assist). John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.) added nine kills, three digs, and two blocks (both assisted), while Alex Wasik (Milford, Mass.) had five putaways on nine swings (.333 hitting percentage) and a team-high three block assists. Cameron Little (San Diego, Calif.) facilitated the offense, which compiled 32 kills total, by dishing out 22 assists.
The Gulls played Springfield tightly throughout the entire match as each set featured at least four lead changes. Tonight's matchup against Springfield also saw all three sets have tied scores at the 17-17 mark or higher in each set.
Set one showcased 12 tie scores and eight lead changes before the Pride finally broke open a 19-19 tie with a 6-0 run to end the set (25-19). Springfield registered two kills and two service aces and also capitalized on a pair of errors by Endicott for the first-set victory.
In set two, Springfield erased a 24-18 deficit behind four kills and four Endicott errors, while in set three the Pride used an 8-2 run late in the set (17-17) to complete the sweep over the Gulls.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Riorden has notched 10 or more kills in seven matches this season.
- The Gulls had their three-match winning streak snapped in the loss versus Springfield.
FOR THE FOES
- Trevor Mattson (Redlands, Calif.) and Kyle Jasuta (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) tied Riorden for the match-high in kills with 10 each.
- Mike Neary (Ventura, Calif.) ran the attack with a match-high and season-high 38 assists.
- Jason Weedon (North Tustin, Calif.) also chipped in with nine kills.
MATCH TWO: No. 8 Stevenson 3, Endicott 0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-17)
Wasik fueled Endicott's offense in the second match of the day by posting a team-high 11 kills on 16 swings for a .562 hitting percentage (season-high, min. 15 attempts). Osborne also contributed six kills and Daniel Toth (Glenwood, N.J.) had five, while Little rounded out the list of offensive highlights for the Gulls with 21 assists.
After breaking up a 20-20 tie in set one to edge Endicott, 25-21, to begin the match, the Mustangs hit over .550 throughout the next two sets (.684 set two, .400 set three) to earn its 11th straight victory. Defensively, Stevenson held Endicott to a .135 hitting percentage (third lowest this season), recorded 21 digs, and 10 blocks (two solo, eight assisted).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Wasik has compiled 10 or more kills in four matches during the 2016 campaign.
- Wasik notched 16 kills and hit .480, combined, in both matches.
- Despite both losses tonight, Endicott is still 5-2 on the road in 2016.
FOR THE FOES
- Landon Shorts (York, Pa.) led all student-athletes with 14 kills on 21 swings (.476 hitting percentage).
- Jason Gardner (York, Pa.) aided the offense with seven kills on 14 attempts (.429 hitting percentage).
- Rob Wingert (Hanover Township, Pa.) had a match-high assists in the win.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (8-8, 3-0 NECC) travels to Lesley on Wednesday, February 24 for a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) matchup against the Lynx at 8 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
