Gulls Defeat Fighting Scots in Three Sets in CCC Opener

Gulls Defeat Fighting Scots in Three Sets in CCC Opener

WENHAM, Mass.-  Looking to kick off the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) portion of their schedule undefeated, Endicott relied on young blood to carry them to victory as the Gulls took down the Fighting Scots in straight sets to move to 1-0 in CCC play.  The win, the fourth in the last six matches, moves Endicott to 5-7 on the season and sees the team travel to Amherst for two matches with the possibility of improving to .500 overall.

Endicott was led at the net by sophomore Mackenzie Guerre (Carlsbad, Calif.).  Guerre, a middle, was able to hit .300 while totaling seven kills on 20 attempts.  Mackenzie filled out her stat line as she also picked up one assist, two aces, four digs and two solo blocks in the match.  Reigning CCC Rookiie of the Week Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Calif.) started off the week in good form as she put down five kills on 11 error-free swings for a .455 clip.  McIntyre also chipped in with eight digs on the evening.  

Sophomore Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) picked up 20 more assists to push her season total to 387.  The sophomore also picked up eight digs which tied her with McIntyre for second on the team.  Leading the defense was freshman libero Erika Trudon (Coventry, Conn.) who totaled 22, her second straight 20+ dig performance.  The libero also contributed two aces in the win.  Joining Guerre in the middle was freshman Kelli Sugrue (Tewksbury, Mass.) who enjoyed quite a nice match of her own.  Sugrue was able to tally four kills on 13 attempts against the Fighting Scots.

Both teams put forth strong defensive performances as Endicott was held to hitting just .107 as a team while the Gulls held Gordon to -.114.  The Gulls had an impressive 63 digs in the three sets compared to 59 for the Scots.

Endicott now travels to Amherst for a tri-match against Amherst and Bates.  The Gulls will be out for revenge against Bates as they defeated Endicott in five sets this past weekend at the MIT Invitational.  Match times are set for 2 and 4 p.m.