Gulls go 1-1 against nationally-ranked opponents
March 16, 2008
AVON PARK, Fla. - Endicott College continued is southern swing on Sunday afternoon, shocking fourteenth-ranked Medaille, 3-2, and then dropping a tough five-game match to No. 8 Stevens Tech in Avon Park, Florida.
Endicott grabbed a hard-fought, 3-2, win over No. 14 Medaille to begin its Sunday schedule. The Gulls took the opening game 30-28, and then surrendered a difficult 30-32 loss. EC rebounded to win 30-25 in game three, but then fell 28-30 to set-up the decisive game. Despite trailing 8-4 at the side switch, Endicott rallied for a 17-15 game five win to take the match, 3-2.
The Gulls' A.J. Witkofsky (Scotia, N.Y.) was a monster upfront against 14th-ranked Medaille, nailing 23 kills, 10 digs and eight blocks to pace the Blue and Green. John Emerey (Westford, Mass.) continued his strong weekend, notching 16 kills and 12 digs. Ben Foster (Penfield, N.Y.) posted an extremely well-rounded 63 assists, 13 digs and seven blocks in the win. Dan Coleman (Millis, Mass.) had 23 digs while senior Jeremy Hamel (Industry, Maine) had 14 digs for the Gulls.
Later in the day, Endicott met No. 8 Stevens Institute of Technology. The Ducks rattled off 30-26 and 30-18 wins, only to have the Gulls respond with 30-22 and 30-24 decisions to force game five. In the final game, Stevens was able to escape with a 15-9 win.
A.J. Witkofsky had 19 kills, six digs and six blocks in the loss. James Sliva (Monroe, Conn.) played strong defense at the Endicott net, logging 12 kills and nine blocks against a formidable Stevens' All-American award winner. Ben Foster had 51 assists while Dan Coleman and Jeremy Hamel had 20 and 17 digs for the Blue and Green.
Endicott closes out its Florida schedule on Monday afternoon as they meet the ninth-ranked squad in the NAIA, Warner Southern at 3:00 p.m.