BRISTOL, R.I.- When Endicott traveled to Bristol, R.I. on Friday to take on Roger Williams (RWU), the regular season matchup pitted two teams that have combined to win nine of the last 10 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championships against each other. The Gulls would struggle against the Hawks in this chapter of the rivalry, falling in straight sets by scores of 21-25, 19-25, 15-25. Endicott, now 9-8 (1-1 CCC) is off until Tuesday when they travel to Wentworth before departing for California to play in the Leo Invitational, hosted by Pamona-Pitzer and La Verne.
Endicott was led in the match by sophomore middle Hayley Knapp (Valencia, Calif.) and libero Erika Trudon (Coventry, Conn.). Knapp led the team offensively in kills with six and hitting percentage with a .357 clip (6-1-14). Trudon led the defensive effort against the CCC's top team as she recorded a team high 12 digs in the setback. Setter Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) narrowly missed out on recording a double-double as she finished with 18 assists and nine digs.
Sophomore Brittany McMullen (Lancaster, Pa.) led the match and team with 13 kills and a .440 hitting percentage (13-2-25). Each one of the other four starting hitters recorded exactly five kills while setter Josalyn Benson (Phoenix, Ariz.) dished out a match high 29 assists. Libero Maria Batas (Merrick, N.Y.) led the match with 16 digs while outside Elizabeth Flaherty (Sloatsburg, N.Y.) added 13 digs to her five kill performance.
With the loss, Endicott suffers its first CCC loss and now stands at 9-8 (1-1 CCC). The Gulls are off until Tuesday when they travel to Wentworth for a 7:00 p.m. start before departing for California to play in the Leo Invitational, hosted by Pamona-Pitzer and La Verne. Once there, the Gulls will play both host schools in addition to Virginia Wesleyan and Whittier. Following the win, Roger Williams improved to 10-4 (3-0 CCC) and continued a nine match win streak. The Hawks return to action quickly as they take on Mount Holyoke tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
