Women's volleyball at the Wellesley Invitational

Posted: Oct 16, 2010

Wellesley, Mass. – The Endicott women’s volleyball team lost three times over the course of two days against some tough regional competition at the Wellesley Invitational. The Gulls are now 16-12 (6-1 TCCC) heading into their next match against Tufts on October 20 at 7:00 pm in Medford.

Match One vs. Wellesley

After dropping the opening set, Wellesley College rallied to a 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21) win over Endicott to open the Wellesley Volleyball Invitational Friday evening at Keohane Sports Center. The win lifts the Blue to 12-5. The Gulls drop to 16-10.

Wellesley built a 15-12 lead in the first game, but strong serving from Endicott defensive specialist \#Carly Beers\# (Traverse City, Mich.) and three crushing blocks from \#Elyse Barbour\# (Greenville, R.I.) sparked an 11-2 run for the Gulls, as the visitors cruised to 25-20 win. Set two was a back-and-forth affair until Wellesley inched out to a 16-13 advantage. The Gulls rebounded with another serving run from Beers for a 22-20 lead, but Wellesley closed out the game with five straight points to even the match at one set each.

The third frame followed the same script, as the Blue opened a slight lead midway through the game before Endicott surged to a 22-20 advantage. Wellesley once again responded with five straight to secure the set and a 2-1 lead. The Blue carried the momentum into game four, taking an early 8-4 lead. Endicott cut the lead to 10-8 and ultimately to 22-21, but Wellesley closed out the match with three straight points, punctuated with Elizabeth Campbell's (Solona Beach, Calif.) final kill of the night.

Sophomore outside hitter \#Falyn Torelli\# (Pelham, N.Y.) led the visitors with 11 kills. Barbour added nine kills and eight blocks, while \#Brittany Phillips\# (Sudbury, Mass.) chipped in eight kills and racked up 20 digs. Libero \#Ashley Norley\# (Sudbury, Mass.) recorded 19 digs, and setter \#Sarah Allhouse\# (Berthoud, Colo.) tallied 33 assists and 8 blocks.

Wellesley's offensive charge was led by Elizabeth Campbell who racked up 16 kills with a .333 hitting percentage, while Taylor King (Walnut Creek, Calif.) posted 13 kills, hitting at a .297 clip. Victoria Peng (Diamond Bar, Calif.) dished out 25 assists with 21 digs, while Isabel Custodio (Powell, Ohio) added 19 assists, 14 digs and five blocks.

The round-robin Invitational continues on Saturday at 10:00am, when Wellesley faces Ithaca College. The Gulls play SUNY-New Paltz at noon, followed immediately by a match at 2:00 versus Ithaca.

Match Two vs. SUNY New Paltz

New Paltz used dominant blocking and tough serving to down Endicott College in straight sets (25-15, 25-9, 25-21) Saturday afternoon in round four of the Wellesley Volleyball Invitational. The Hawks now stand at 21-6 for the season. Endicott falls to 16-11.

New Paltz gradually built a 14-10 lead in the opening set, then outscored Endicott 11-5 to take the game, 25-15. The Hawks carried the momentum into set two, taking a 4-0 advantage before using an eight-point serving run from Kelsey Garmendia (Pine Bush, N.Y.) to break the game open on their way to a 25-9 win and a 2-0 lead.

Endicott rebounded in game three as the squads traded sideouts early in the set. New Paltz surged to take an 18-13 advantage, but the Gulls battled back with a five-point serving run from \#Allison Schait\# (Mattituck, N.Y.) to cut the lead to 21-20. New Paltz responded with four of their own to seal the sweep with a 25-21 win.

For Endicott, Barbour and Phillips tallied seven and six kills, respectively, while Norley picked up 12 digs. Allshouse recorded 14 assists and 13 digs in the loss.

For the Hawks, Michelle Jacobson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) notched six kills, while Eleanor Skovgaard (Pittsford, N.Y.) added five kills and three blocks. Libero Carrie Hack (Baldwinvile, N.Y.) picked up 18 digs and three aces, while Garmendia and Brigid Moore (Victor, N.Y.) combined for 27 assists in the win.

Match Three vs. Ithaca

In the fifth match of the 2010 Wellesley Invitational, Ithaca College posted a 3-1 victory over Endicott College, with set scores of 18-25, 25-22, 25-18, and 25-21. The Bombers improve to 14-11 on the year with the win, while the loss sets the Gulls record to 16-12.

Endicott began the match quickly, opening a 13-9 lead midway through the first set and cruising to a 25-18 win. In game two, the squads traded points until Endicott inched out to a 16-14 advantage. But Ithaca responded and tied the game at 21-21, then scored four of the next five points to take the frame 25-22.

With the match tied at 1-1, the Bombers carried the momentum to game three, grabbing an early 12-8 edge. The Gulls trimmed the lead to 18-16, but Ithaca pulled away for the 25-18 win. Now with a 2-1 lead, the Bombers used two early runs to take a 9-5 lead in set four. Endicott battled back, cutting the lead to 11-10, but Ithaca surged again, breaking away to a 21-14 lead in route to the 25-21 win.

Endicott's attack was led by Barbour who posted 13 kills, while Phillips and Norley each added nine. Allshouse recorded 38 assists and three blocks, while \#Amy Grigg\# (Vernon, Conn.) also picked up three blocks. \#Gillian Kucharski\# (Avon, Conn.) and Norley finished with dig totals of 19 and 17.

Ithaca's Jessica Hoeffner (Hauppauge, N.Y.) led the way for the Bombers with 17 kills, three blocks and three aces. Chelsea Hayes (Haworth, N.J.) picked up 10 kills and 16 digs, while Kate Thoene (High Bridge, N.J.) posted seven kills and three blocks. Sydney Folk (Long Beach, N.Y.) dished out 22 assists, with Marissa Woodcome (Pittsford, N.Y.) adding 16. Taylor Horton recorded 23 digs while Karin Edsall (Cornwall, N.Y.) led the Bombers with six blocks.