BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott women's volleyball team claimed the third Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title in the last four seasons on Saturday by sweeping the Hawks of Roger Williams 3-0. The Gulls won by set scores of 25-21, 25-18 and 25-12.
After a tight first set in which Endicott hit .406 to Roger Williams' .343, the Gulls took over, hitting .343 in the second and .400 in the third, while keeping the Hawks to a .195 average in the second, and a -.100 average in the third.
Overall, the Gulls finishing the match hitting .381 as a team while holding the Hawks to a .160 average, as Endicott finished with an astounding 46 kills and just nine errors on 97 attempts. In comparison, Endicott's defense was able to hold the Hawks to 32 kills and 15 errors on 106 swings. Endicott finished with four blocks and 55 digs while Roger Williams finished with four blocks and 36 digs.
CCC Player of the Year Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) finished with a match-high 37 assists, to go with seven digs and three kills, while CCC Libero of the Year Mackenzie Kennedy (Andover, Mass.) finished with a match-high 14 digs. Offensively, three Gulls finished hitting .357 or higher as Remi Quesnelle (Sunderland, Mass.), Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Nicole Winkler (Southborough, Mass.) all eclipsed the mark. Quesnelle led all players with 12 kills while also hitting .357 and chipping in six digs, while Gilbert was error-free on the day, finishing with 11 kills on 21 attempts (.524) while also picking up six digs. Winkler led all players with a match-high .583 average, finishing with eight kills on 12 swings to go with two blocks.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- This was the 39th meeting between the two programs in their storied rivalry as today's win gives Endicott the 20-19 edge over the Hawks all-time.
- Since 2004, 14 of the 16 CCC titles have been won by either Endicott or Roger Williams, as they each have claimed seven.
- The senior class of Gifford, Kennedy and Quesnelle have now won three CCC titles, and currently possess an overall record of 85-40 overall while they went 32-2 against CCC opponents.
- All seven titles for the program have come under head coach Tim Byram who is in his 20th year at the helm. Today's title was win number 402 of his career at Endicott.
- Freshman Lauren McGrath (Franklin, Mass.) finished with eight digs and a match-high three aces, leading Endicott to a 6-2 edge in aces.
WHAT'S NEXT
With today's CCC title, Endicott (23-7) has secured a berth into the NCAA DIII Volleyball Tournament. Roger Williams (15-14) sees their season come to a close. The Gulls will find out where they will play through the NCAA selection show which will air on Monday at 12:30 PM on the NCAA Championship site.
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(Photo Credit - Nick Grace '20)