BEVERLY, Mass. – The three-time champions of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), Endicott, were selected to face Little East winners Bridgewater State in the First Round of the NCAA DIII Tournament on Friday, May 10th on the campus of Bowdoin College. Match time is set for 11:00 am.
Endicott (18-3) captured their second straight CCC Championship back on October 20th, a 5-1 road victory over the Bison, and will be making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history. The Gulls are 0-2 thus far in the First Round, suffering a 5-0 loss to Wellesley in 2009 and a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Elizabethtown last spring.
In preparation for the national tournament, the Blue and Green have competed in five regional matches going 4-1 with wins over Smith, Springfield, Wheaton (Mass.), and Salem State. The Gulls narrowly lost to Mount Holyoke 5-4 in late March. Six All-CCC student-athletes including First Team Singles stars Emilie Cloutier (Lewiston, Maine) and Chrissy Martel (Westbrook, Conn.) and the First Team Doubles duo of Martel and Natalie Egbert (Gorham, Maine) lead the Blue and Green in this match up.
Bridgewater State (13-2) went unbeaten during regular season conference matches by going 8-0 and cruised through the Little East Tournament, beating Plymouth State and Salem State 5-0, to win their second title in the past three seasons. The Bears have Little East Player of the Year, junior Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) on the roster as well as six other All-Little East players.
Endicott and Bridgewater share four common opponents this season in Gordon, Plymouth State, Roger Williams, and Salem State. The Gulls and Bears have shared convincing wins over Gordon, Plymouth State, and Salem State but with Endicott defeated Roger Williams twice last fall (6-3 regular season, 5-4 CCC Semifinals) while Bridgewater State was downed 7-2 by the Hawks on September 20th on the road.
