Sept. 5, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott College women's volleyball team made short work of Emmanuel, downing the Saints, 3-0, in the opening match of the Endicott Invitational Tournament in Beverly, Mass. The Gulls posted set scores of 25-13, 25-15, and 25-22 in the victory.
The Gulls got a standout performance from outside hitter Steph Wiese (Higganum, Conn.), as the junior notched 10 kills and two aces in the three-set sweep. Brittany Phillips (Sudbury, Mass.) was also strong on the outside, as she accounted for nine kills. Senior middle Hayley Janelle (Madbury, N.H.) weighed in with nine kills of her own in the win.
The victory marks the third in four tries for the Gulls thus far in 2008, as Endicott is now 3-1 overall. The win advances the Blue and Green into Saturday's semifinal where they will meet Eastern Connecticut State at 12:00 p.m. The Warriors swept their way past Bridgewater State to earn a spot in Saturday's winner pool.
Eastern Connecticut was led by freshman outside Molly Rathbun's (Hebron, Conn.) 10 kills and 14 digs. Classmate Kristianna Ibsen (Shelton, Conn.) notched nine kills in the Warrior's win. Senior setter Jen Braswell (Wilton, Conn.) dished out 26 assists.
In other tournament action, Salve Regina University defeated New Jersey City University, 3-0, to move into the right side of the bracket. The Seahawks fought hard to get by the Gothic Knights, posting set scores of 25-23, 26-24, and 25-20 in the win. Deanna Salter (Westwood, Mass.) paced the winner's effort with seven kills, while senior Rachel Cirella (Jamestown, R.I.) notched 24 assists. Amanda Harmon (Dennis, Mass.) had 22 digs and freshman Julianne Barry (Randolph, Mass.) had five blocks upfront.
In the fourth match of the evening, Bowdoin College edged Little East contender Keene State, 3-1, to advance on to meet Salve Regina. The Polar Bears posted scores of 25-14, 25-20, 22-25, and 25-23 to earn the victory. Bowdoin freshman Kristin Hanczor (Redding, Conn.) led the kill effort with nine, while junior Jenna Diggs (La Jolla, Calif.) had 31 assists and 21 digs. Kelsey Howe (Sandy, Utah) and Stephanie Drumright (San Francisco, Calif.) had six blocks apiece in the win.
Tournament action continues on Saturday with game times scheduled for 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and finishing at 4:00 p.m.
To view the complete and updated schedule for day two of the tournament, please click here.
