March 31, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Playoff-bound Endicott College made quick work of visiting University of New Haven, sweeping the Chargers for the Gulls fourth-straight win, 30-21, 30-28 and 30-20, on Senior Night in Beverly, Massachusetts. With the win, Endicott closes out the regular season with an 18-14 overall (8-3 NECVA) record. New Haven, with still three matches to go, slips to 9-13 (0-7 EIVA).
Endicott opened its Senior Night by quickly streaking to a 3-0 lead. The Gulls would increase their lead to five as they notched a point on a Chris Lennon (Dedham, Mass.) hitting error, putting the hosts ahead, 9-4. A New Haven timeout proved to do nothing to slow the Endicott offense, as EC took the next six points, capped-off by an assisted block from senior Tim Lyons (Haverhill, Mass.) and sophomore James Sliva (Monroe, Conn.) for the 15-4 advantage. Moment's later, Endicott continued its blocking presence as Ben Foster (Penfield, N.Y.) got in on the action, notching a point on a solo block to give Endicott a comfortable cushion, 21-9. The Chargers responded after taking their second timeout, securing six of the next nine points to cut the deficit to less than ten. The lead would prove too large, however, as the Gulls took a, 30-21, game one win.
UNH and Endicott traded points to start game two, with the Gulls taking a slight, 9-7, lead on the serving efforts of B.J. Worth (Londonderry, N.H.). The Chargers fired back by taking eight of the next 11 points, grabbing the lead 15-12. Following an Endicott timeout, the Gulls battled their way back into the contest, cutting the advantage down to one on a dig by Jeremy Hamel (Industry, Maine) and a kill by NECVA New England Player of the Week A.J. Witkofsky (Scotia, N.Y.). Consecutive miscues by New Haven gave the Gulls the lead, one they refused to relinquish, as Tim Lyons closed out the game on a near side kill, 30-28.
Endicott wasted no time building a 5-0 advantage to start the third game. Strong blocking upfront and a serving run from Ben Foster allowed the Blue and Green to increase their lead to 11-5. Moment's later, Zeke Kubisch (Bethlehem, N.Y.) notched consecutive kills on the near side, extending Endicott to a dominating 19-11 lead. The Chargers were never able to get in any sort of a groove on Monday, dropping the third game, 30-20.
Endicott was led by A.J. Witkofsky's 12 kills, five digs and seven blocks. Zeke Kubisch also had a nice night upfront, notching 12 kills in the win. Ben Foster closed out his sophomore regular season with 39 assists while Dan Coleman had 13 digs for the Blue and Green.
Next up for Endicott is the opening round of the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association playoffs. The Gulls, awarded the No. 12 seed, will travel to New Jersey to meet host Ramapo College on Friday evening. Match-time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
