Gulls cruise past Mountaineers in divisional double-header

Boxscore - Match One

Boxscore - Match Two

Beverly, Mass. – Host Endicott cruised to a pair of North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) New England-division wins over Southern Vermont by identical 3-0 scores in men’s volleyball action Tuesday night. 

The Gulls took the first match 25-12, 25-15, 25-11 behind ten kills from junior outside hitter Jeremy Siden (Natick, Mass.).  Siden finished with no errors on 15 attacks. Classmate Jeremy Schlosser (Emmaus, Pa.) handed out 25 assists in the win while sophomore Matt Devendorf (Glastonbury, Conn.) added six kills and four aces for Endicott (11-9, 8-2). 

Southern Vermont was paced by Anthony Barahona’s (Eagle Rock, Calif.) seven kills and five aces. Freshman setter Anthony Ayala (Pico Rivera, Calif.) added 13 assists in the loss.

The Mountaineers (3-14, 3-10) jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the early stages of game one before a trio of attack errors gave the Gulls a 4-3 advantage. Ayala’s kill leveled the game at four before three straight Endicott points put the hosts on top for good as they coasted to the double-digit win.

Set two was tight through the first 20 points, as Endicott took a narrow two-point lead (11-9) following a Southern Vermont attack error. Freshman Travis Netherton (Waukegan, Ill.) responded by serving three straight points for the Gulls, who took a 14-9 lead on a Siden kill. With Endicott leading 16-11, Siden would serve out seven straight points before a Devendorf kill capped the set at 25-15.

The Gulls quickly built a double-digit lead in the game three behind eight straight service points from Mike Coniglione (Glenville, N.Y.). Coniglione finished the match with three aces and a pair of blocks.

Match two saw more of the same from the Gulls, who bounced the Mountaineers by scores of 25-13, 25-18, and 25-17.

Freshman setter Carter Roche (Clifton Park, N.Y.) gave out a match-high 34 assists in the win while classmate Josh Anderson (La Canada, Calif.) erupted for 12 kills and a pair of blocks in his first action of the season. Sophomore outside hitter Kevin Duggan (Glastonbury, Conn.) added a season-high nine kills in the win for Endicott (12-9, 9-2). 

Barahona once again led the Mountaineers (3-15, 3-11) with nine kills while Ayala dished out a team-high 19 assists. 

The Gulls capitalized on five Mountaineer attack errors in the latter stages of game one en route to a 12-point win. Anderson served four of the final six points before Duggan’s kill to the finishing touches on the set.

Netherton joined the fray midway through game two as EC opened a 12-7 lead behind his three kills. The Gulls took six of the next eight points and cruised to a seven-point win.

The hosts were rarely tested in the third and final set after Anderson and Coniglione helped Endicott take the first five points. Endicott opened a late nine-point lead before settling for a 25-17 result.

Endicott travels to New Haven for a non-divisional matchup tomorrow (March 2) before participating in the MIT Invitational over the weekend. Southern Vermont travels to Mt. St. Vincent on Thursday (March 3) for a non-conference match.