Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott College men’s volleyball team held off a pesky Milwaukee School of Engineering squad, 3-1 (30-27, 30-26, 22-30, 35-33), on Tuesday night in non-conference action in Beverly, Mass. The Gulls improve to 17-4 overall and have won 11 straight matches while the Raiders fall to 7-9 this season.

The Milwaukee School of Engineering jumped out to an early 5-2 lead capped off by a service ace from Jack Geary (Milwaukee, Wis.). The Gulls responded with a 6-0 run with the help of \#A.J. Witkofsky\# (Scotia, N.Y.) who picked up a pair of service aces en route to the Gulls taking back control of the game, 8-6. The Gulls forced an MSOE timeout as Endicott stretched its lead to 15-10 on a kill from Witkofsky before the Raiders tied the score at 18-all on a kill from Max Martin (Schaumburg, Ill.) and eventually took the lead at 20-18 on an attack from Chris Reininger (St. Louis, Mo.), prompting an Endicott timeout. The Gulls trailed 26-22 and chipped away at the lead, eventually tying the game on an ace by \#Ben Foster\# (Penfield, N.Y.) and taking game one, 30-27, on a solo block by \#James Sliva\# (Monroe, Conn.).

In the second game, the two teams battled back-and-forth as the set was tied as late as 13-13 before the Raiders grabbed a 16-14 lead on a kill from Reininger and took its largest lead of the set, 23-19, on a kill by Max Martin. The Gulls fought their way back into the game and tied it at 24 on a kill from Witkofsky. Back-to-back errors by the Raiders gave Endicott a 27-25 lead that it would not relinquish, with the Blue and Green taking a 2-0 lead in the match on a block by \#Matt Devendorf\# (Glastonbury, Conn.).

In game three, Endicott trailed 10-5 in the early going as Geary and Glenn Frazee (Kenosha, Wis.) picked up block assists on an attempt by Devendorf. The Gulls would get as close as 13-11 on back-to-back aces by \#Zeke Kubisch\# (Bethlehem, N.Y.) but an attack error from Sliva left Endicott trailing 18-13 and prompted an EC timeout. The Raiders lead reached 24-17 as Frazee recorded a kill and service ace on back-to-back plays before MSOE put Endicott away, 30-22.

Game four saw the Raiders grab an early 10-7 lead on an ace from Reininger and extend its lead to 13-8 on a kill from Evan Simatic (South Milwaukee, Wis.). MSOE increased its lead to 18-10 on a kill from Jack Geary before a monster kill from \#Matt Devendorf\# left the Gulls trailing 18-14 and forced a Raider timeout. Back-to-back kills from Witkofsky cut the MSOE lead to 22-20 before a mental lapse by the Gulls left the Blue and Green trailing, 25-22, and a block on the ensuing possession extended the Raiders’ lead to 26-22, prompting an EC timeout.

The Raiders had a pair of chances to put away the Gulls and force a fifth game, but back-to-back errors by MSOE let Endicott back into the set and tied the score at 29-29. Following a kill by Reininger, \#John Emery\# (Westford, Mass.) tied the score at 30-all with a kill and the Gulls took the lead at 31-30 on an error by Glenn Frazee which forced an MSOE timeout. The teams would trade points before a kill by Devendorf gave Endicott a 34-33 lead that was followed by a block from Witkfosky and Foster that left Endicott with the 35-33 win.

The Gulls were led by 24 kills and seven total blocks by \#A.J. Witkofsky\#. \#John Emery\# added 12 kills while \#Ben Foster\# handed out 47 assists and also added 11 digs. \#David Lowe\# (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) led the team with 16 digs while \#Zeke Kubisch\# and \#James Sliva\# each added five total blocks.

MSOE was led by 23 kills and six total blocks from Max Martin while Glenn Frazee added 14 kills. Chris Reininger chipped in with nine kills of his own. Chris Brandt (Darien, Ill.) registered a game-high 54 assists while Jon Holzbauer (Menomee Falls, Wis.) added a game-high 18 digs. Jack Geary posted eight total blocks, including six solo.

Endicott looks to make it 12 wins in-a-row when the Gulls travel to Regis College on Thursday night for a NECVA New England Division matchup with the Pride scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MSOE continues its East Coast trip as the Raiders will take on Emmanuel College on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. 

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