PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Endicott women's volleyball team went toe to toe with one of the top teams in the region on Wednesday night but came up just short, falling to Johnson & Wales (JWU) i3-0.
The Gulls did not back down from the Wildcats, who were ranked as the #5 team in the country in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, losing by set scores of 25-20, 25-21, 25-22. With the loss, Endicott moves to 4-4 on the season while JWU improves to 6-1.
Endicott's senior class led the charge on Wednesday as Emma Mancini (Lynnfield, Mass.) led the Gulls with 10 kills while Emily Diezemann (Peabody, Mass.) finished with eight kills on 14 error-free attempts to hit .571 for the match. The duo provided more than just offense as Mancini pitched in nine digs and Diezemann led the team with three blocks (1 solo, 2 assist).
Libero Mackenzie Kennedy (Andover, Mass.) finished with a team-best 13 digs while Alex Dippel (Fallston, Md.) was strong on the pin, closing the contest with seven kills and a .294 average. Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) finished with 37 assists and five digs in the setback, as the junior setter is now averaging 11.04 assists/set.
The Wildcats held a 48-38 advantage in kills while hitting .270 to Endicott's .229. The hosts also out-dug the Gulls 58-45, while Endicott held the slim 4-2 advantage in blocks.
Brylee Frank (Palm City, Fla.) led the JWU offense with 39 assists on the match, 13 of which went to middle Kate Walker (Oakland, Cali.). Walker's 13 kills came on 25 attempts as she hit .520.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott falls to 4-3 all-time against JWU in the series history.
- Wednesday night marked the second straight nationally ranked opponent for the Gulls as they had fallen to #17 MIT 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
- JWU's .270 average for the night was the third lowest hitting percentage of the season for the Wildcats as Endicott's team defense impressed on Wednesday.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott returns home to the friendly confines of the MacDonald Gymnasium to host Brandeis on Friday at 5 PM. JWU returns to GNAC play on Friday, traveling to Norwich for 5 PM start.
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(Photo credit - David Le '10)
