BEVERLY, Mass. – The first-seeded Endicott men's volleyball team defeated fourth-seeded SUNY Potsdam, 3-1, by scores of 25-21, 25-18, 15-25, and 25-15 in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Semifinals on Thursday night at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Nikolas Kasprzak (Windham, N.H.) led all student-athletes with 16 kills on 24 swings (.542). He also added seven digs and four block assists to his stat line in the win.
Mason Mallory (Playa del Rey, Calif.) chipped in 11 kills, five block assists, and four digs, while Dean Warner (Kinderhook, N.Y.) ripped home 10 kills on 20 swings (.450) to highlight the rest of the attack.
Gabe DeBenedetto (Rockford, Ill.) ran the offense via a match-high 45 assists (.474). He also compiled two service aces, five digs, and three block assists.
Tonight's match featured 12 ties (6-5-0-1) and four lead changes (3-1-0-0).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls are 3-0 all-time against SUNY Potsdam (all 3-1 victories).
- Will Perry (San Mateo, Calif.) went a perfect 10-for-10 on serve-receive (five receptions led to kills).
- Brian Wightman (Las Vegas, Nev.) passed to an unblemished 24-for-24 serve-receive stat line (match-high receptions; 8 correlated in kills).
- Mallory went 20-for-21 on serve-receive (8 receptions led to kills).
- Endicott improved to 8-4 at home.
- The Gulls have won eight in a row dating back to March 29.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 1 Endicott (14-9) hosts No. 2 Nichols in the NECC Championship on Saturday, April 15 at 1 PM. SUNY Potsdam sees its 2023 season come to a close at 17-15 overall. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - Leanna Puccio '24)
