BABSON PARK, Mass. - The Endicott women's volleyball team split their non-conference tri-match on Saturday by sweeping Brandeis 3-0 before falling to No. 23 Babson 3-1. With the split, the Gulls move to 14-6 overall on the season.
In the opening match, the Gulls swept the Judges of Brandeis 3-0 behind set scores of 25-16, 25-13, and 25-18. Senior Remi Quesnelle (Sunderland, Mass.) was dominant offensively, leading all players with 16 kills. Quesnelle hit .361 for the match as her 16 kills came on 36 swings with just three hitting errors while she also picked up six digs and an ace.
Setters Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) and Lauren McGrath (Franklin, Mass.) helped the Gulls hold the .239 to .031 advantage in hitting percentages as Gifford finished with 15 assists and nine digs while McGrath finished with 19 assists and two digs of her own. Mackenzie Kennedy (Andover, Mass.) finished with a match-high 24 digs while Nicole Winkler (Southborough, Mass.) posted a match-best six blocks, as the Gulls held a nine to five advantage in blocks as a team.
In the final match against the No. 23 ranked team in the nation according to the most recent AVCA DIII Coaches Poll, Endicott fell to Babson 3-1 as the Beavers extended their home winning streak to 25 against non-conference opponents. The Beavers won the first 25-17 before the Gulls stormed back to win the second 25-19 to even the match at 1-1. Endicott would come close to claiming a 2-1 lead in the second as the Gulls had set point at 24-21 but the Beavers would rally and take the set 29-27, before closing out the match with a 25-12 fourth set win.
Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Quesnelle would lead the Endicott attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, but Babson would 57-45 edge in kills and a .211 to .098 edge in hitting percentage in the match. Gifford posted her 11th double-double of the season, finishing with 38 assists and 21 digs in the setback, while Kennedy led all players with 28 digs of her own. McGrath and Gilbert also posted double-digit dig totals as McGrath finished with 14 and Gilbert picked up 10.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORES
- Endicott has now won six straight over Brandeis dating back to 2013.
- Endicott is now 9-10 all-time against Babson.
- Gilbert's double-double against Babson was her first of the season.
WHAT'S NEXT
Now 14-6 overall, the Gulls will return to Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play on Wednesday with a 7:00 PM match at Gordon. Endicott is currently alone atop the CCC standings with at 3-0, the lone undefeated team in CCC play.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)