Posted: Feb 09, 2012
BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men’s volleyball team competed in their first match as an associate member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), earning a 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-20) sweep over Newbury at MacDonald Gymnasium on Thursday evening behind a errorless six-kill, five-block effort by senior captain Joshua Bruno (Andover, Mass.).
Bruno was one of six Gulls defenders at the net to record a block, helping to lift Endicott (1-3, 1-0 NECC) to its first victory of the 2012 season. Junior Matt Devendorf (Glastonbury, Conn.) and sophomore Lance Pepper (Glastonbury, Conn.) each tied for second best on the team with three blocks each.
Newbury (2-3, 1-2 NECC) saw senior outside hitter Danny Kim (Plainview, N.Y.), who torched the Gulls for 19 kills in the 2011 ECAC Division III New England Championship, lead the visiting squad with eight kills, four digs and a solo block.
Endicott also received an efficient attacking performances from senior outside hitter Jeremy Siden (Natick, Mass.) sophomore right side Josh Anderson (La Canada, Calif.). Siden led the team with eight kills and five digs while Anderson, in just 10 attempts, struck seven kills with just two errors for a .500 hit percentage. Anderson also did his part defensively with two assisted blocks at the net. Devendorf matched Anderson with seven kills in the win.
Gulls libero Andrew Slocum (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) led all players with 10 digs. Newbury’s libero Alex Amylon (Scituate, R.I.) along with setter Cody Braden (Fairgrove, Mo.) tied for a team-high seven digs apiece.
Endicott’s two-setter system featured senior Jeremy Schlosser (Emmaus, Pa.) and sophomore Carter Roche (Clifton Park, N.J.) who went for 21 and 12 assists, respectively. For the Nighthawks, Braden dished out 18 assists.
In the opening set, the Blue and Green claimed nine of the first 11 points to take control in the early going. The Endicott run to a 9-2 lead was capped off by back-to-back kills by Bruno and Devendorf. Newbury cut the lead down to 12-7 after a kill by Justin Franks (Mamoroneck, N.Y.) but another three-point swing by the Gulls forced a timeout at 15-7. Endicott would stretch their lead to as large as 24-12 before taking the first set 25-14.
In the second, the Gulls once again raced out to an early lead at 8-3, forcing a Nighthawks timeout. Four Newbury errors and kills by four different Endicott players accounted for those eight points. In this set, Endicott would step up defensively with sophomore Travis Netherton (Waukegan, Ill.), Anderson, Bruno, and Pepper all recording blocks. The Gulls took the second set 25-14 to go up 2-0 in the match.
Newbury came alive in the third set, holding a lead as large as three points at 11-8 following a kill by freshman Chi Yin Li (Framingham, Mass.). Endicott, however, responded with three straight points to tie it up and after the Nighthawks took leads of 12-11 and 13-12, the Gulls ran off six straight to take an 18-13 advantage. This stretch showcase three services aces by Roche and kills by Devendorf, Anderson and sohpmore middle Mike Coniglione (Glenville, N.Y.). Newbury pulled back to within three but the Blue and Green held on for the 25-20 set win to take the match.
Endicott looks to win back-to-back matches when they begin competition in the MIT Invitational starting on Saturday, February 11th against Johnson & Wales at 4:00 pm in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That match will be followed by a 6:00 pm start against Emerson. Newbury hosts Wentworth and Southern Vermont in a tri-match starting at 11:00 am.
