NECC SEMIFINALS: No. 1 Endicott Blanks No. 4 Nichols

BEVERLY, Mass. – The first-seeded Endicott men's volleyball team defeated fourth-seeded Nichols, 3-0, in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament semifinal round by scores of 25-16, 25-18, and 25-18 on Wednesday night at MacDonald Gymnasium.

Erich Roman (Glastonbury, Conn.) dominated in tonight's win as the senior outside registered 13 kills (0E-16TA, .812), seven digs, and a block assist.

Rafa Robert (San Juan, Puerto Rico) also added 11 kills (.368) and seven digs (tied match-high), while Ian Smith (Elk Grove, Calif.) chipped in with eight putaways (.438) and four digs.

As a team, Endicott hit .514 (44K-8E-70TA) on the night behind the play of freshmen setters Gavin Emenaker (Newton, Mass.) and Aidan Napoli (Henderson, Nev.).

Emenaker ran the offense for the first two sets and compiled 25 assists (.714), while Napoli closed out the match with 13 helpers (.481) in set three.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott's .514 hitting percentage is its second-highest output this season.
• The Gulls are 7-0 all-time against Nichols dating back to 2019.
• Smith was flawless on serve-receive going 19-for-19 (12 receptions led to kills).
• Tonight's match featured 11 ties (0-7-4) and five lead changes (0-2-3).
• Endicott is ranked No. 11 nationally in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-15 Poll.

WHAT'S NEXT

First-seeded Endicott (7-3) will host second-seeded Elms (4-1) in the NECC Championship this Saturday at 1 PM. 

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10) | BOX SCORE