Aug. 30, 2008
WENHAM, Mass. - The Endicott College women's volleyball team won its first two matches of the season before falling to MIT in the Finals of the Gordon College Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The Gulls defeated Wheaton (Mass.), 3-0, and also downed TCCC foe University of New England by the same score. The Blue and Green were handed a 3-0 setback to the Engineers to end the tournament.
In the season opener, the Gulls looked strong as they made quick work of Wheaton, 3-0. Junior Steph Weise (Higganum, Conn.) registered a team-high 10 kills in the win. Senior Hayley Janelle (Madbury, N.H.) had eight kills while classmate Brittany Nolan (Monroe, Conn.) notched a team-best 14 digs.
A well-rounded attack overpowered the Nor'easters, as Endicott failed to drop a set to its conference rival. Weise, Janelle, Brittany Phillips (Sudbury, Mass.), and Amy Grigg (Vernon, Conn.) were all contributors upfront, while Nolan continued her strong tournament with 13 digs.
In the finals, Endicott fell by set scores of 25-22, 25-16, 25-20. Brittany Nolan earned all-tournament honors as she capped off her day with 12 additional digs. Hayley Janelle had six kills in the losing effort, while Phillips finished with three kills and 11 digs. Casey Ward (Monroe, Conn.) dished out 11 assists in the loss, while Ally Murphy (Gilford, N.H.) had 10 assists for the Blue and Green.
Endicott returns to action on Friday evening as it hosts a weekend-long tournament on the Beverly campus. The Gulls will meet Emmanuel College at 6:00 p.m. to begin the two-day play.
