DALLAS, Texas - The Endicott women's volleyball team defeated Johnson & Wales (Colo.) 3-1 to start the University of Dallas Invitational. The women will now take on Brooklyn and the University of Dallas tomorrow afternoon.
The Gulls took the first two sets with relative ease, by scores of 25-18 and 25-15. The Wildcats would rally in the third, taking a close set by a 26-24 final before Endicott closed out the match with a 25-21 fourth set victory.
Endicott was led in the match by Emily Diezemann (Peabody, Mass.) who hit .700 by collecting seven kills on 10 error-free swings, to go with four total blocks. The Gulls, running a 6-2 offense, saw both setters post double-double efforts as Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) led the squad with 21 assists and 12 digs while Mareena Clotfelter (Poulsbo, Wash.) contributed 12 assists and 10 digs in the win.
BEYOND THE BOX
Also producing strong offensive performances were Alex Dippel (Fallston, Md.) and Nicole Winkler (Southborough, Mass.) as the duo combined for 17 kills on 33 swings. Dippel produced a 10 kill, 12 dig effort for her first double-double of the year to go with a match-high four aces, while Winkler finished with seven kills and three blocks from the middle.
Libero Cydney Pierce (Carpinteria, Calif.) finished with a team-best 15 digs, as Endicott finished with 62 digs in the four set win.
Earlier in the day, the Endicott women's volleyball team was able to volunteer with Trusted World, helping to sort donations for hurricane relief. To see more on their efforts, please click here.
This was the first meeting between the two programs as JWU competes in the NAIA.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott now looks to Saturday when the team will compete against a pair of DIII opponents in Brooklyn, a team that is currently 5-0 on the young season, and Dallas, a team that currently sits at 3-5 overall. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.