Sept. 15, 2005
Beverly, MA -- The Gulls put together a defensively driven match to outlast Emmanuel College, who Endicott fell to in the 2004 NCAA Regional Tournament, in a five game nail-biter in MacDonald Gymnasium Thursday night. The Gulls got off to a strong start in game one, only to see it slip through their fingers with a 28-30 loss. After trailing 8-1, EC came back strong in game two and defeated the Saints 30-27. After falling in game three 28-30, the team put together a strong finish winning game four 30-23. EC then rallied from a 12-14 deficit to clinch game five 17-15.
For the match, freshman Brittany Nolan (Monroe, CT/ Monroe) brought up a team and program best 37 digs. Her outstanding defensive performance was complimented by four other players reaching double figures in digs. Senior Killeen Ross (Ballston Lake, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) brought up 23 digs, sophomore Meghan Hall (Santa Cruz, CA/Aptos) added 20, freshman Kaylee Krom (Strasburg, CO/Strasburg) dug 19 balls, while senior Patty Mikan (Shelton, CT/ St. Joseph's) brought up 13.
The Gulls saw strong play at the net from both middle hitters. Junior Sara Moore (Guilford, CT/Guilford) led the team with 12 kills and 5 blocks. Freshman Hayley Janelle (Madbury, NH/ Oyster River), Krom and Ross added 11 kills a piece. Janelle also contributed 6 blocks. Hall dished out 49 assists in the match while adding five kills of her own.
Endicott improves its record to 6-2 with the win, while Emmanuel suffers its first defeat of the season bringing them to 2-1. The Gulls return to action Saturday for a CCC Conference tri-match at Roger Williams where they will face the home team at 11 am and conference rival Colby-Sawyer at 1 pm.
