BEVERLY, Mass. – The first-seeded Endicott men's volleyball team defeated fourth-seeded SUNY Poly, 3-1, by scores of 25-15, 23-25, 25-10, and 25-19 in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament semifinals on Thursday night at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Ian Smith (Elk Grove, Calif.) posted a match-high 16 kills (.312) to highlight the attack.
Meanwhile, Rafa Robert (San Juan, Puerto Rico) filled the stat sheet with 11 kills, four digs, three block assists, and a perfect 16-for-16 showing on serve receive.
The Gulls also saw Nikolas Kasprzak (Windham, N.H.) and Brady Mullens (Aurora, Colo.) contribute all-around efforts in the win. Kasprzak notched eight kills (.467), a career-high six digs, and five block assists, while Mullens contributed five kills (.500), four digs, and five blocks (one solo, four assisted).
As a team, Endicott compiled a season-high 11 blocks (two solo, 18 assisted) to punch its ticket to the NECC Championship.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls are 5-0 all-time against SUNY Poly.
- Gavin Emenaker (Newton, Mass.) dished out season-high 44 assists tonight, marking his fourth match this season with 40 or more (3-1 record).
- Endicott is 8-3 at home this season.
- Tonight's match featured 18 ties and eight lead changes (S1: 1-0 | S2: 2-1 | S3: 5-3 | S4: 10-4).
- Five of Kasprzak's six digs led to kills (.833).
- Nine of Robert's 16 receptions correlated in putaways (.562).
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 1 Endicott (17-6) will host No. 2 Nichols in the NECC Championship on Saturday, April 9 at 3 PM. SUNY Poly sees its 2022 season come to a close at 13-17 overall.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
