BEVERLY, Mass. – The No. 14 nationally ranked Endicott men's volleyball team suffered a hard-fought loss to No. 1 Springfield College, 3-1, by scores of 25-20, 21-25, 22-25, and 23-25 on Wednesday night at MacDonald Gymnasium. The Pride are the reigning NCAA Division III national champion and have appeared in the D3 national title match in eight straight seasons with victories coming in half of those appearances (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017).
In tonight's match, Endicott took the first set behind a team-high .316 hitting percentage (10K, 4E, 19TA) and a dominant passing display which featured a .938 serve-receive percentage (15-for-16) and 10 assists on 21 attempts (.476). The Gulls also compiled seven digs in the first set and recorded four blocks (one solo, six assisted).
Springfield responded in the second set, however, with a match-high .375 hitting percentage (12K, 3E, 24TA) before fending off a gritty effort by the Gulls the rest of the way.
Endicott sophomores Donovan Dey (Fairport, N.Y.) and Bryn Lipton (Rockford, Ill.) tied for the match-high in kills with 14 apiece, while Adam Dake (Victor, N.Y.) and Chad Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) dished out 25 and 19 assists, respectively.
Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) and Jeremy Doski (Sandy Hook, Conn.) also chipped in with seven kills apiece. Seth Braquet (Destrehan, La.) rounded out the list of highlights for the Gulls with six kills, four digs, one block solo and one block assist.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott's current No. 14 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national ranking marks the first appearance on the list since 2011, and first under head coach George Chapell in his six-year career at The Nest.
- Both teams entered tonight's match with a combined record of 41-2 (.953) and a combined winning streak of 34 straight matches.
- Both teams also came into tonight's match as the No. 1 and No. 2 best hitting teams in the country (Springfield .376, Endicott .349).
- T. Riorden and Lipton tied for the match-high in digs with eight apiece.
- Despite the loss tonight, Endicott is on pace to register its eighth 20-win season in program history.
- Tonight's match featured 25 ties and six lead changes.
FOR THE FOES
- Springfield has not lost a match since January 13. Since then, the Pride have knocked off several nationally ranked teams and NCAA Division I Harvard University during that stretch.
- Ricardo Padilla Ayala (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and Sean Zuvich (San Pedro, Calif.) tied for the team-high in kills with 11 total.
- Kyle Jasuta (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) add 10 kills in the win.
- Eli Gabriel Irzarry Pares (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) dished out a match-high 40 assists.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 14 Endicott (18-2, 9-0 NECC) hosts Cal Lutheran tomorrow at 6 PM. No. 1 Springfield (24-1) welcomes New Paltz State to its campus this Saturday at 6 PM.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
