Oct. 27, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - In a battle between the top two records in The Commonwealth Coast Conference, the Endicott women's volleyball team made a statement in the form of a, 3-0, victory over the University of New England in the first match of a Saturday morning tri-match in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Game one featured a dominating effort by the Gulls. The Endicott front line was consistent and strong throughout the opening frame, converting on almost every kill opportunity that came their way. A strong contest from Brittany Phillips (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln Sudbury) and Hayley Janelle (Madbury, NH/Oyster River) propelled the Gulls to a convincing, 30-10, game one win.
Game two was a much different contest as the Nor'easters played a more inspired style; while Endicott committed several uncharacteristic mistakes. University of New England pulled within three, 23-20, as Steph Wiese (Higganum, CT/Haddam-Killingworth) hit a kill attempt on the near side a bit too far. The Nor'easters cut the deficit to two as Kristen Edwards (Laconia, NH/Lacoina) supplied a beautiful block at the UNE net. In the end, Endicott refused to relinquish its slight advantage, holding on for the 30-25 game two win.
Ellen Choinski (Saunderstown, RI/North Kingstown) opened game three with a solid kill for the Nor'easters, putting the visitors ahead 4-3. Endicott responded by rattling off the next six points, giving the Gulls a 9-4 lead. Endicott continued its nice run as Brittany Phillips put the Gulls up six on a hard kill on the nearside, sneaking the shot into the back left corner for the 18-12 advantage. UNE, refusing to go quietly, pieced together a run of its own as the visitors scored seven of the next 10 points to make the score 21-19 in favor of Endicott. Following an EC timeout, Endicott was able to regroup and hold on for the 30-27 win.
The Nor'easters were led by Ellen Choinski's seven kills. Alissa Ehmke (Baileys Harbor, WI/Gibraltar) turned in a 25 assist performance while freshman Kristen Edwards tallied seven blocks in the losing effort. Claire Varner (Breckenridge, MI/Breckenridge) had 14 digs for UNE.
Endicott was paced by Hayley Janelle's 15 kills and two aces while Steph Wiese finished the game with 15 kills and 19 digs. Senior setter Meghan Hall (Santa Cruz, CA/Aptos) handed out 51 assists in the three game match.
In the middle match of the Endicott hosted tri-match, Roger Williams defeated the University of New England, 3-1. The Hawks defeated the Nor'easters, 30-23, in game one and then followed up the victory with a 30-20 game two triumph. UNE battled back with a 30-24 game three win, but were finally trumped, 31-29, in an exciting game four.
In Endicott's second match of the day, the Gulls squared-off with Roger Williams University. A victory would assure EC the No. 1 seed in the upcoming TCCC playoffs. Endicott looked strong in game one against the Hawks, downing the visitors 30-22.
Roger Williams and Endicott exchanged points in the early stages of game two, as the Gulls and the visitors found themselves tied at 5-all early on. Brittany Sulliven (Nashua, NH/Nashua) went on a nice serving run to put the Hawks up 10-5. Endicott responded by nabbing five of the next six scores, pulling within one at 11-10. The even contest continued as the two squads locked into a 20-20 tie, trading points throughout the teens. From there, Roger Williams took six of the next nine points, building a 26-23 lead. The three point advantage would prove to be enough as the visitors held on for the 30-27 game two win.
Despite falling into a quick 5-2 hole to open game three, Endicott bounced back and built a convincing 18-10 lead midway through the third frame. From that point, the Gulls rattled off 12 of the next 17 points to double-up the Hawks, 30-15.
Endicott carried the momentum into game four, grabbing a 5-2 lead to open the game. A seesaw battle through the middle of the contest eventually resulted in a 23-19 advantage for Endicott. The Gulls closed out the game and the match with an impressive 30-25 win.
Roger Williams was led by Amy Maurer's (Madbury, NH/Oyster River) 14 kills. Eilleen O'Leary (Southington, CT/Southington) and Jillian Hurd (Sunapee, NH/Sunapee) each tallied 15 digs while Kirsten Bosworth (Centerville, MA/Barnstable) dished out 32 assists. Brittney Sullivan ended the day with 14 digs and five aces for the Hawks.
Hayley Janelle turned in 17 kills and five blocks for the Gulls while Brittany Phillips had 15 kills and three blocks. Freshman middle Amy Grigg (Vernon, CT/Rockville) had eight blocks while Brittany Nolan (Monroe, CT/Masuk) contributed 24 digs in the win.
The pair of wins improve Endicott to 23-10 overall and 9-1 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference. The victories also mark the 100th and 101st wins for the Endicott seniors, the only class in the history of the program to reach such a plateau. Endicott will open the TCCC on Tuesday evening as the overall No. 1 seed.
