BRISTOL, R.I. - For the second straight season, the Endicott women's volleyball team claimed the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title after knocking off top-seeded Roger Williams 3-2. Endicott, the second seed in the tournament, improves to 22-9 on the season and will now head to the NCAA Division III Tournament with a time and location to be released on Monday.
After dropping the first set 25-19, the Gulls stormed back to take a 2-1 advantage after claiming the second set 25-21 and the third 25-23. The Hawks would respond by taking the fourth 25-20 to even the match at two and force a winner-take-all fifth set to 15. Ahead 8-3 at the switch, Endicott was able to hold on down the stretch for a 15-11 final, and 3-2 match win. This is Endicott's second straight CCC title, and sixth overall under 18th year head coach Tim Byram.
Leading the way for Endicott was CCC Player of the Year Emma Mancini (Lynnfield, Mass.). The outside continued her dominant season, posting 22 kills in the five set thriller to lead all players, while also picking up 10 digs to complete the double-double. Fellow outside Remi Quesnelle (Sunderland, Mass.) produced a career-high 14 kills in the win while also picking up two digs. Setter Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) finished with 45 assists and 19 digs in the defensive battle, as her 19 digs were the team-high. Senior Lauren Sheehan (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) finished the match with seven kills, while Nicole Winkler (Southborough, Mass.) notched six of her own.
Libero Cydney Pierce (Carpinteria, Calif.) finished the match with 18 digs as the Gulls were able to hold Roger Williams to a .152 hitting percentage, well below their season average of .217. Junior middle Emily Diezemann (Peabody, Mass.) finished with four total blocks, consisting of two solo blocks and two assist blocks, to lead Endicott's blocking efforts. Defensive specialists Mareena Clotfelter (Poulsbo, Wash.) and Mackenzie Kennedy (Andover, Mass.) posted 15 and 14 digs, respectively, as Endicott out-dug Roger Williams 95 to 89 in the match.
BEYOND THE BOX
- Endicott's win gives them six in the history of the program, as they became the team in CCC history to win a championship on the road, avenging a regular season 3-2 loss at home.
- The last 12 CCC titles have gone to either Endicott or Roger Williams. This is the first time since Endicott's string of three straight titles from 2006-08 that Endicott has claimed consecutive titles.
- With her 22 kills in the championship match, Emma Mancini has set yet another record, this time setting the Endicott record for kills in a season as she currently has 438. She broke Brittany Phillips' record of 435 that was set in 2010.
- This title also marks the second straight season in which a Trudon has won the title, as current freshman Nichole Trudon (Coventry, Conn.) joins her older sister Erika Trudon '17 as a CCC champion.
FOR THE FOES
- Roger Williams ends its season with a 20-7 record overall.
- Sophomore Lara Lolacono (Lynnbrook, N.Y.) finished with a team-high 16 kills in the match, while junior Nicki Fallisi (Salem, N.H.) finished with 14.
- Setter Julia Fields (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) finished with a match-best 52 assists to go with 14 digs, while libero Meghan Chartier (Inverness, Ill.) led all players with 28 digs in the setback.
WHAT'S NEXT
The 2017 NCAA Division III Selection Show will be available on Monday, November 6, HERE. Endicott, after securing the automatic bid that comes with the CCC championship, will find out their opponent, location and time during that show.