Gulls Finish UMB Invitational 2-2 After Defeating Babson in 5 Sets

BOSTON, Mass.-  The Endicott women's volleyball team finished the UMass Boston Invitational 2-2 after losing to Haverford 3-1 in the opening match before closing with a 3-2 win over Babson, the #12 team in New England.  Endicott now possesses a 14-12 record overall.

Match One: Endicott 1, Haverford 3 (21-25, 25-23, 18-25, 18-25)

In the opening match of the second day, Endicott fell to the Fords of Haverford 3-1.  The Gulls had their offense clicking in the first two sets as they hit at clips of .312 and .333 before they struggled in the final two sets with averages of -.024 and .026.  For the match, Endicott hit at a .164 average while Haverford hit .249.  

Leading Endicott offensively again was sophomore middle Mackenzie Guerre (Carlsbad, Calif.).  The middle registered 14 kills on 35 attempts as she hit .257.  She also tied for second on the team with two total blocks as she picked up one solo and one assist block.  Fellow sophomore Jackie Cone (Salem, N.H.) chipped in with 11 kills and six digs in the effort.

Freshman Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Calif.) picked up her fifth double-double of the season as she totaled 10 kills and 15 digs.  Her 10 kills came on 33 attempts with a .242 average.  Fellow rookie Erika Trudon (Coventry, Conn.) followed her personal best 31 dig performance against Colby-Sawyer with a 30 dig match against Haverford.  Sophomore Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) also picked up a double-double as she finished with 38 assists and 12 digs.

Match Two: Endicott 3, Babson 2 (26-24, 16-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-12)

In the day two night cap of the UMass Boston Invitational, two of the top 15 teams in New England (according to the most recent NEWVA Coaches Poll) put on a show as #11 Endicott took down #12 Babson 3-2.  The Gulls used stellar offensive play in the first, fourth and fifth sets to rally from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Beavers.

Jackie Cone led the offense in the final match as she put forth a 16 kill effort that was the team high.  Her kills came on 41 swings as she hit at an impressive .293 clip.  Mackenzie Guerre was close on her heels as she notched 14 kills on 36 swings to hit .250.  Guerre also picked up two assist blocks.  

Freshman Tori McIntyre recorded yet another double-double as she tallied 11 kills and 14 digs in the win.  It was her sixth double-double performance of the season which is second on the team behind setter Alleigh VandeMerkt.  VandeMerkt, who also picked up a double-double in the win over Babson, now has seven on the season after she registered 48 assists and 18 digs.  The sophomore setter has already recorded 908 assists on the season, good enough for eighth all-time in single season performances in Endicott history.  

Erika Trudon continued her stellar defensive play as she picked up another 20 digs in the win.  The libero also led the team with four aces.  For the weekend, Trudon recorded 90 digs, good enough for a 5.29 dig/set average.  She has now recorded double digit dig totals in 18 of 19 matches since being named the team's starting libero.  Freshman Hayley Knapp (Valencia, Calif.) led the team with a .357 average as she put down seven kills on 14 attempts.  The middle also led the team with four total blocks as she picked up four assist blocks.  Close behind her offensively was sophomore Lexi Watts (San Diego, Calif.) as she had six kills on 16 attempts for a .312 average.  

Endicott is now off until Thursday when they play host to NCAA DII St. Anselm's at 7 p.m before heading to North Shore rival Salem State on Saturday.  At Salem State, the Gulls will compete in a tri-match with the Vikings and MCLA.