NASHUA, N.H. – On day two of the Live Free or Die Invitational, the Endicott men's volleyball team matched up against a SUNY New Paltz team that received votes towards a top-15 ranking in the AVCA Preseason Poll and NECC rival Daniel Webster after going 0-2 on day one. The Gulls finished day two 1-1 after a tightly contested three-set loss to New Paltz and an impressive 3-1 victory over the Daniel Webster, their first victory of the 2013 season.
For his efforts in the tournament, junior right side Josh Anderson (La Canada, Calif.) was named to the All-Tournament Team after recording 39 kills with a .245 hitting percentage, averaging 2.79 kills per set. He also had nine total blocks and five digs.
The Blue and Green will host their home opener on Thursday, January 31st at 7:00 pm in MacDonald Gymnasium against the Wentworth Leopards who have started their season 3-1.
Endicott 0, SUNY New Paltz 3 (25-23, 25-22, 25-14)
After tallying 16 kills on day one of the Live Free or Die Invitational, Anderson kicked off another day of impressive offense with 10 kills and a .429 hitting percentage in a hard-fought 3-0 loss to New Paltz. Anderson added two digs and two assisted blocks defensively and was complemented by five kills and five digs from freshman outside John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.).
Setters Tyler Bacon (Cypress, Calif.) and Carter Roche (Clifton Park, N.Y.) combined for 16 assists in the win.
Endicott's defense kept them in the game as several players countered the New Paltz attack with strong digs including team-high six digs from senior Brennan Lowe (Malibu, Calif.). At the net, junior Travis Netherton (Waukegan, Ill.) rejected five total attacks from opposing hitters, one solo and four assisted.
Endicott's serve receive was on point as well with Osborne and junior Aaron Jessee (Okinawa, Japan) allowing just three receive errors in 40 total attempts.
Endicott 3, Daniel Webster 1 (28-26, 25-16, 25-27, 25-20)
Against NECC opponent Daniel Webster, the Gulls saw four players reach double-digit kills, both setters combined for 53 assists, while the defense held strong with 11 team blocks and over 60 digs.
Netherton tied for a match-high 17 kills on 23 attempts with just two errors (.652 hitting percentage) with Anderson and senior Matt Devendorf (Glastonbury, Conn.) striking 13 kills and Osborne adding 10 more to his total. The Blue and Green hit .284 as a team while holding the opposition to a .139 hitting percentage.
Roche, along with 30 assists, recorded 14 digs while Jessee, a defensive specialist, reached 10 digs in the win. Sophomore defensive specialist Kristian Catalan (Sudbury, Mass.) did his part defensively as well, tying his personal best with eight digs against the Eagles.
In the blocking game, junior middle Mike Coniglione (Glenville, N.Y.) had three solo blocks and assisted on two more to stop the Daniel Webster offense. Devendorf had three solo blocks of his own while Anderson totaled three stops as well.
