BEVERLY, Mass.- Behind a strong offensive performance, the Endicott women's volleyball team defeated visiting Simmons College, 3-0, on Wednesday night in the season opener for both programs.
Leading the way for the Gulls was sophomore outside Lauren Sheehan (Bainbridge, Wash.) who recorded 16 kills on 24 swings to hit at a .542 clip for the match. Senior opposite Lexi Watts (San Diego, Calif.) had a strong season debut as well, notching nine kills on 16 attempts while hitting at a .438 clip.
Libero Cydney Pierce (Santa Barabara, Calif.) led the defensive effort with 11 digs, while junior outside Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Calif.) chipped in with nine of her own to go along with four kills. Setter Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) paced the offense with 21 assists, while also picking up a match-high four aces.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 12 kills and the .542 hitting percentage were both career highs for Sheehan, besting her 10 kill high she set last year against Trinity, and the .300 average she posted against Babson.
- The 21 assist performance marks the 107th straight match the VandeMerkt has reached the double-digit assist plateau.
- Watts' .438 performance was a new career high as she topped her .409 performance against Eastern Nazarene back in her freshman year, 2012.
FOR THE FOES
- Andalyn Duke (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) registered a match-high 26 assists in the setback to run her double-digit assist streak to 19 matches.
- Cailin Frederickson (Columbia, Md.), finished the match one kill shy of tying her personal record as the junior outside led the Sharks with 13 kills on 40 swings.
- Junior libero Kat Guillotte (New Bedford, Mass.) led the match with 12 digs in the losing effort.
- Guillotte's 12 dig performance was the second highest in an opening match of her three year career, falling short to her 15 digs performance against Wheaton her freshman year.
WHAT'S UP NEXT
Endicott (1-0) heads on the road for Friday and Saturday as they travel to Waltham, Mass. to compete in the Brandeis Invitational. Once there, the Gulls will take on Keene St., Southern Maine and Brandeis. The Gulls are 8-3 all-time against Keene State, 1-0 against Southern Maine and 4-14 all-time against the Judges.
The Sharks of Simmons (0-1) will also take to the road this weekend as they travel to New London, Conn. to compete in Coast Guard Invitational. Once on the Connecticut coast, the Sharks will take on Eastern Connecticut St., Newbury and Coast Guard. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
