BOSTON, Mass. – In a non-conference matchup with GNAC opponent Emerson, the Endicott men's volleyball team scored a 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-15) victory inside Brown & Plofker Gymnasium. The Gulls hit .395 as a team and were led by nine kills, six digs, and two block assists by sophomore outside Bryn Lipton (Rockford, Ill.).
Endicott controlled the match in the opening set thanks to senior outside Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) who tallied four of his eight kills in the 25-15 first stanza. Junior setter Adam Dake (Victory, N.Y.) efficiently distributed the ball with eight of his team-high 16 assists in set one.
The Gulls and Lions battled back-and-forth in the second set, but with the match tied 16-16 Endicott rattled off four straight points on kills by Lipton and sophomore opposite Tim Fieseler (Bridgewater, N.J.), an ace from junior setter Devin Racey (Voorheesville, N.Y.), and a Lions attack error to gain separation. Fieseler had three kills in the second set and Endicott would go on to take a 2-0 match lead with a 25-21 set win.
In the third set, Gulls freshman middle Gabe Felicetti (Charlestown, R.I.) was an impact with four kills and two service aces while fellow newcomer Erich Roman (Glastonbury, Conn.) struck two kills, and setters Racey and sophomore Chad Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) combined with 13 assists. Endicott won the third set 25-15 as they registered a .519 hitting percentage.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is now 6-1 all-time against Emerson, avenging last year's five-set loss to the Lions at home
- Gulls junior middle Seth Braquet (Destrehan, La.) had five kills on 10 swings as Endicott middles combined to go 12-0-18 (.667)
- Lipton and Racey tied for team lead with six digs while Dake, T. Riorden, and sophomore libero Ryan Healey (Fair Lawn, N.J.) each had five digs apiece
- Braquet had his hands in a total of four blocks, sophomore opposite Donovan Dey (Fairport, N.Y.) had three block assists, and Fieseler ended the match on a solo block
FOR THE FOES
- Emerson was led offensively by freshman outside Mark Piorkowski (Montclair, N.J.) with seven kills and a .211 hitting percentage
- Freshman right side Win Kittivatcharapong (Bangkok, Thailand) added six kills while sophomore outside Nick Rusk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had five kills in the loss
- Defensively, sophomore libero Carl D'Aguiar (Tujunga, Calif.) led all players with 12 digs
- Freshman setter Marcus Cepeda (Sacramento, Calif.) had a match-high 19 assists
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (9-1) opens up their NECC schedule tomorrow evening on the road at Southern Vermont for a 7:00 PM first serve. Emerson, who had won three matches in-a-row prior to tonight's loss, will look to rebound on Saturday with a home tri-match against John Jay and Newbury starting at 11:00 AM.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
