Men’s Volleyball Drops Two Matches Vs. Nationally Ranked Opponents To Begin 2016 Season

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Competing in day one of the Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Tip-Off, the Endicott men's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to No. 1 nationally ranked Springfield and No. 8 nationally ranked Rutgers-Newark on Friday evening inside the Wildcat Center.

MATCH ONE: No. 1 Springfield 3, Endicott 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-10)

Springfield produced a season-high .569 hitting percentage (40 kills, 7 errors, 58 total attacks) to improve to 3-1 overall on the season. Endicott was led by junior middle Daniel Toth (Glenwood, N.J.) who registered eight kills, a .727 hitting percentage, and one block assist. Alex Wasik (Milford, Mass.) added five kills (.364 hitting percentage), a service ace and one block solo, while Cameron Little (San Diego, Calif.) facilitated the offense with 20 assists.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott notched a set-high .471 hitting percentage in the second set (11 kills, 3 errors, 17 total attacks).
• Toth's .727 hitting percentage against Springfield tonight ranks second all-time in a single-match for the junior (minimum 10 attempts), and also second in a season opening match for him as well.
• Against Brooklyn on January 16, 2015, Toth posted an 11-0-11 stat line to power the Gulls to a 3-0 sweep in their 2015 season opener over the Bulldogs.

FOR THE FOES

• Greg Woods (Middletown, Conn.) paced the attack with 12 kills (.474 hitting percentage), five digs, three assists, and three block assists. 
• Luis Vega (Corozal, Puerto Rico) chipped in with nine kills (.500 hitting percentage), three service aces, four digs, and two block assists.
• Julian Welsh-White (Collingswood, N.J.) and Joseth Irizarry Feliciano (Adjuntas, Puerto Rico) both finished with five kills apiece.
• Luis Garcia Rubio (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) dished out a match-high 33 assists.

MATCH TWO: No. 8 Rutgers-Newark 3, Endicott 1 (26-28, 25-18, 25-21, 25-19)

Trailing 24-18 in set one, Endicott manufactured a 10-2 run that was highlighted by three kills, two blocks, and one service ace to eventually hand No. 8 Rutgers-Newark its first loss in a set this season.

The Scarlet Raiders (3-0) entered tonight's match with identical 3-0 victories over No. 2 nationally ranked Stevens and the College of Mount Saint Vincent from earlier this season. Both matches took place on January 16 in The Golden Dome Classic, which was held in Newark, N.J.

Following the first set, Rutgers-Newark responded back with a .529 hitting percentage (11 kills, 2 errors, 17 attacks) in set two for a 25-18 win and 18 kills (.481 hitting percentage) in set three to take a 2-1 advantage.

Endicott went on to claim an 8-7 lead early on in set four, but Rutgers-Newark pulled away with a 12-6 run and never looked back.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Wasik powered the offense in the second match of the night for the Gulls with 13 kills to go along with two service aces, three block assists, one block solo, and a dig. Wasik has now registered 10 or more kills in four matches in his career.
• Toth aided the offense with nine kills, while John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.), and Seth Braquet (Destrehan, La.) both had eight kills, respectively.
• Little ran the attack with a season-high 42 assists. Little now has tallied 40 or more assists in five career matches for the Gulls.
• Freshman Ryan Healy (Fair Lawn, N.J.) notched a match-high and career-high 13 digs.

FOR THE FOES

• The Scarlet Raiders featured four student-athletes with double-figure kill totals, including a match-high 14 putaways from Travis Mintzer (Emmaus, Pa.).
• Kevin McCandless (Leesburg, Va.) compiled a season-high 52 assists in tonight's win over Endicott.
• Quocmy Nguyen (Wescosville, Pa.) tied Healy for the match-high in digs with 13 total.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (0-2) will play Lasell College tomorrow at 9 a.m. to open up day two of the JWU Tip-Off before playing the host Wildcats in its final match of the tournament at 11 a.m. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.