No. 20 Men’s Volleyball Shuts Out SUNY Poly, 3-0
BEVERLY, Mass. – The No. 20 Endicott men's volleyball team swept SUNY Poly, 3-0, by scores of 25-16, 25-19, and 33-31 in the New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC) season opener for both squads on Saturday night at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Jake Laborde (Brookline, N.H.) and Aidan Iacovelli (South Windsor, Conn.) fueled the Gulls' attack with 15 kills (match-high) and 14 putaways (.619), respectively.
Matty Tiernan (Bradford, R.I.) ran the majority of the offense with 24 assists (.462), while Ethan Norris (Hollis, N.H.) chipped in with 17 assists (.370) and six kills (.312).
Endicott's passing was nails throughout the match, as the back row produced a season-best 58-for-59 showing on serve-receive (.983, one return error, minimum 50+ attempts).
Dan Battista (Bethlehem, N.Y.) headlined the unit with a match-high 15 digs and a perfect 20-for-20 performance on serve-receive. Laborde also went 19-for-19 (four digs), while Iacovelli compiled a 15-for-15 serve-receive / eight dig stat line.
Overall, tonight's match featured 19 ties (1-3-15) and seven lead changes (0-1-6).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is 9-0 all-time against SUNY Poly (six sweeps).
- The Gulls pushed their winning streak to eight straight matches.
- Iacovelli found a different zone in set three, hammering home eight kills (.583).
- Battista was clutch on the defensive end in the final set, going 10-for-10 on serve-receive with seven digs.
- Set three (33-31) marks the longest set Endicott has played against an opponent this season.
- The Gulls erased late deficits of 24-23, 25-24, 27-26, 28-27, 29-28, 30-29, and 31-30 thanks to three straight kills from Laborde down the stretch.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 20 Endicott (9-3, 1-0 NEVC) visits Sage on Saturday, February 28 at 4 PM. SUNY Poly (9-9, 0-1 NEVC) takes on Hartwick (2 PM) and Dean (4:30 PM) in Oneonta, N.Y., on Friday, February 27.
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(Photo Credit - Griffin Jones '27)