Endicott splits on final day of invitational

Endicott splits on final day of invitational
Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott College women’s volleyball team wrapped up the final day of the Endicott Invitational by splitting a pair of matches against Emmanuel College and Bowdoin College on Friday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. The Gulls defeated the Saints, 3-1, before falling to Bowdoin in a thrilling five-set shootout.

A sluggish start to the day plagued Endicott in the opening set against Emmanuel, dropping a 26-24 decision to the Saints. The Blue and Green were quick to recover, however, as the Gulls posted back-to-back 25-16 wins, before closing out the match with a 25-11 victory in the fourth set to take the decision.

Endicott got 13 kills and 12 digs from junior \#Brittany Phillips\# (Sudbury, Mass.), while both \#Steph Wiese\# (Higganum, Conn.) and \#Amy Grigg\# (Vernon, Conn.) finished the morning with nine kills. Grigg also stood tall upfront, notching one solo block and three assisted blocks in the win. Junior \#Ally Murphy\# (Gilford, N.H.) and freshman \#Mollie Potsma\# (Everett, Wash.) combined for 20 and 17 assists, respectively.

Emmanuel was led by Rebecca Stanton’s (Quincy, Mass.) eight kills and 2 ½ total blocks. Jenna Ross (Centerburg, Ohio) had seven kills and 12 digs, while Kathryne Olsen (Fairhaven, Mass.) had 23 assists and nine digs.

In the final match of the weekend, Endicott matched-up with unbeaten Bowdoin College. In a see-saw affair, the Polar Bears were able to edge out a 3-2 decision over the Gulls. Bowdoin took the first set, 25-21, however the Blue and Green responded with a 25-16 win in the second game. The Polar Bears returned to form in the third, edging the hosts, 25-18. Refusing to go away quietly, Endicott stormed back with a convincing 25-14 victory in the fourth game, forcing a decisive fifth set. An unbeaten weekend was not in the cards for the Blue and Green, as Bowdoin put forth a dominating performance in game five, racing away from the Gulls in a 15-3 victory.

Bowdoin was paced by double-digit kill leaders Gillian Page (Mercer Island, Wash.) and Kristin Hanczor (Redding, Conn.), as the pair each tallied 11 kills in the win. The net play by the Polar Bears was in midseason form, as the visitors tallied nine total team blocks, including six assisted blocks from Stephanie Drumright (San Francisco, Calif.). Senior Skye Lawrence (Kentfield, Calif.) had 20 digs in the win.

Endicott was led by \#Steph Wiese\# and her 17 kills. Junior \#Amy Grigg\# had nine kills, while freshman outside \#Ashley Norley\# (Sudbury, Mass.) finished with eight kills and 12 digs.

Following the day’s final match, the Endicott Invitational All-Tournament team was announced. Bowdoin’s Kristin Hanczor, Endicott’s \#Steph Wiese\#, Eastern Connecticut’s Samantha Slonski (Griswold, Conn.), Emmanuel’s Kathryen Olsen (Fairhaven, Mass.) and Salve Regina’s Julianne Barry (Randolph, Mass.) were honored for their standout play over the weekend.

Endicott (5-2) returns to action on Thursday evening when the Gulls play host to Brandeis University at 7:00 p.m. in Beverly, Mass.