BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's volleyball team defeated Rivier, 3-2, in a back-and-forth matchup on Wednesday night by scores of 28-26, 17-25, 27-25, 18-25, and 19-17 at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Aidan Iacovelli (South Windsor, Conn.) produced a career-high/match-high 18 kills on 43 swings (.302) to highlight the Gulls' attack.
Dean Warner (Kinderhook, N.Y.) also contributed a career-high 16 putways, while Jake Laborde (Brookline, N.H.) notched 10 kills of his own (tied career-high) in the victory.
Gavin Emenaker (Newton, Mass.) facilitated the offense via a match-high 45 assists alongside 10 digs (match-high, second career double-double).
Tonight's contest featured 54 ties (16-8-10-4-16) and 23 lead changes (5-4-6-1-7).
Trailing 14-13 in the fifth set, Endicott rallied behind its home crowd and took advantage of three Rivier miscues to secure the win.
Iacovelli had two kills down the stretch – including the clincher – while Laborde collected one of his team-high four kills when it mattered most (16-15 lead).
The Gulls also registered a set-high .308 hitting percentage (14-6-26) in the fifth set.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Emenaker has now compiled 45 or more assists in three matches in his career.
- Six of his 10 digs correlated in kills.
- Vance Mallory (Playa del Rey, Calif.) was a perfect 38-for-38 on serve receive, with 12 leading to kills (.316).
- Iacovelli went 26-for-27 on serve receive (11 passes ended up terminated, .407).
- Gulls' head coach George Chapell '08 earned his 200th career win, all at Endicott (200-92, .685).
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (1-0) visits No. 1 Wentworth on Saturday, January 27 at 11 AM as part of the Fenway Classic this weekend, hosted by Wentworth and Emmanuel. Rivier (1-2) hosts No. 6 Springfield on Saturday at 6 PM.
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - Jonny Ratner '24)
