MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - The Endicott women's volleyball team made history on Saturday with their sweep of #14 Christopher Newport. The win stands as the highest nationally ranked opponent the Gulls have defeated in program history. The Gulls edged the Captains by scores of 26-24, 28-26 and 25-22 to now return to Beverly with a record of 5-2.
Endicott's defensive efforts led the way as Endicott held Christopher Newport to a .157 average while posting 57 digs and nine blocks. Leading that charge was senior Mackenzie Kennedy (Andover, Mass.) who led all players with 25 digs. Her 25 digs also tied for the fourth-best mark in a three-set match in program history. Setter Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) finished with 26 assists, eight digs and four kills in the sweep.
Offensively, Endicott's middles were the key as Nicole Winkler (Southborough, Mass.) and Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.) combined for 19 kills and eight blocks while hitting at a .375 clip. Winkler finished with a team-best 10 kills and seven blocks (1 solo, 6 assist) in the win while McAvoy led all players with her .412 average (minimum of 10 attempts).
The second match of the day saw the Gulls drop a 3-0 decision to #9 Berry in the final match of the weekend. Kennedy again led the Gulls defensively as she finished with a match-high 13 digs in the setback. McAvoy was again strong offensively, finishing with a team-best 11 kills and a .381 average while Gifford added 26 assists and eight digs in the loss.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORES
- Kennedy's 25 dig effort came the day after she eclipsed the 1,000 career dig mark in the team's 3-1 win over Rhodes. The libero is now averaging a career-best 5.35 digs/set on the season.
- Following her performance, Kennedy was named to the Berry National Invitational All-Tournament Team.
- Freshman Lauren McGrath (Franklin, Mass.) pitched in nine digs of her own and is currently second on the roster with an average of 3.04 digs/set.
- McAvoy, the 2018 AVCA New England Rookie of the Year, is now hitting a team-best .356 on the season.
- The win over #14 Christopher Newport bests Endicott's win over Roger Williams on Oct. 5, 2013, when the Hawks were undefeated and ranked #22.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott, now 5-2 on the season, returns home to host regional power Tufts on Friday at 6:30 PM. The match will serve as the opening match of the MIT Invitational for both programs, as all remaining matches will be played on the campus of MIT in Cambridge, Mass. on Saturday.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)