Endicott Women's Volleyball Predicted to Finish Third in CCC Preseason Poll

2014 CCC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll
2014 Endicott Women's Volleyball Schedule 

BEVERLY, Mass.-  Heading into the 2014 season, the Endicott women's volleyball team is looking to return to the top of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) after reaching the finals in 2013, the third time in the past four seasons.  The Gulls finished 2013 with a 23-16 record overall and a conference record of 6-2 in the regular season, which culminated in a CCC finals appearance as well as an ECAC semifinal appearance.  

As a result, the Gulls were ranked third in the CCC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll as announced on Friday from Commissioner Gregg Kaye.  Endicott sits behind Roger Williams who earned six of the first place votes for a total of 78 points, and Salve Regina who received two first place votes and 70 points overall.  The Gulls received one first place votes and 64 points and sit ahead of Western New England (57), University of New England (46), Wentworth (29), Eastern Nazarene (28), Gordon (20) and Curry (13).

Endicott will look for their returning core of players to build on last season's successes to lead a talented class of newcomers.  The Gulls return a trio of All-CCC players from 2013 in Erika Trudon (Coventry, Conn.), Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) and Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Calif.) in addition to six other varsity returners that will look to lead five first year players on the roster.  Trudon and VandeMerkt are coming off of seasons that earned them All-CCC Second Team honors while McIntyre earned Honorable Mention following seasons in which they led the team to a second place finish in the CCC, a season in which they were picked to finish fourth in the pre-season poll. 

Head coach Tim Byram, who is entering his 15^th season at the helm, knows that to regain control of the CCC will be challenging, but he is confident that the roster the team has assembled has what it takes to do so.  "There is a lot of optimism in and around the team right now," stated Byram when asked about his roster.  "We have been young and talented for a couple of years and this year we have some upperclassmen that have been working hard and should be able to lead by example.  We also should have some competition and versatility in our line-up and be able to match up well with the top teams in our region." 

Always one to put together one of the top schedules in the region, 2014 will be no different for Byram and the Gulls as Endicott will play a variety of regionally and nationally ranked opponents, which includes a west coast trip mid-season.  The Gulls kick off their campaign with a tri-match with Saint Anselm's at Wellesley on the 30^th of August.  Endicott faced both opponents in 2013, dropping a 3-1 decision to Wellesley on the opening weekend before knocking off Division II St. Anselm's in a five set thriller in mid-October.

Endicott then returns to the friendly confines of the MacDonald Gymnasium to kick off their home slate in style as they host the 2014 Endicott Invitational on September 5^th and 6^th.  The Gulls will play a tough docket of regionally ranked opponents as they host Babson and Plymouth State on Friday before taking on UMass Boston and Bowdoin on Saturday.  UMass Boston opens 2014 ranked #22 nationally following a 2013 NCAA New England Regional title and will be looking to avenge a 3-1 loss to the Gulls from 2013.

Endicott returns to the road mid-week for a match against Emerson which will be the third contest between the two schools all-time and first since 2006, a 3-0 win for the Gulls.  That weekend, the 12^th and 13^th, sees another tough invitational as Endicott will play in the MIT Invitational for two matches on each day.  The first day will actually be hosted at Endicott with times still to be determined, with the second day held at MIT.  The Gulls continue their stretch of road matches after that with a mid-week trip to Simmons on the 17^th at 5:00 pm before heading to Hartford, Conn. on the 20^th for a tri-match with Williams at Trinity for a 2:00 and 4:00 pm schedule.

Endicott returns home on the 25^th to host the Chargers of Colby-Sawyer, an opponent used to be a bitter conference rival before the Chargers moved to the NAC.  Cobly-Sawyer has gotten the best of the Gulls in the last two matchups between the two squads, following a 10 match win stretch of dominance for the Gulls.  Cross-town rival Gordon comes to town on the 27^th for Endicott's homecoming match and first CCC match at 2:00 pm as the Gulls will look to extend their dominance over the Scots, having won seven straight and 14 of the past 15.  The three match home stand and the September schedule comes to a close with Endicott hosting UAA foe Brandeis.  The Gulls defeated the Judges 3-0 in 2013, the first win for the Gulls in the last nine meetings between the two squads. 

October will prove to be a pivotal month for Endicott as the team plays six of its eight conference matches in the month.  The month kicks off with a bang on the 3^rd as the Gulls travel to Bristol, R.I. to take on the Hawks of Roger Williams in a rematch of last year's CCC finals.  The two squads played twice in 2013 with Endicott standing victorious on homecoming weekend via a 3-2 result before the Hawks exacted their revenge in the championship match and took a tightly contested 3-0 decision.  Staying on the road, the Gulls head to Boston to take on Wentworth on the 7^th, a team that Endicott is 17-0 against all-time.  At the end of that week, Endicott heads west to California to compete in the Leo Invitational hosted by La Verne and Pomona-Pitzer.  The Gulls take on Virginia Wesleyan and La Verne on Friday before facing off against Whittier and Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday. 

The battle-tested Gulls return home for a match against CCC rival Salve Regina on the 15^th for what will be a crucial conference match if recent history continues in 2014.  The Gulls faced off against the Seahawks twice last season with Salve taking the regular season contest 3-1 before being upset by the Gulls in the CCC semifinals by an identical 3-1 score. 

That Saturday, the 18^th, the Gulls travel to Medford, Mass. for a tough tri-match against Amherst and host Tufts University at 3:00 and 5:00 pm.  The Gulls are 0-2 all-time against Amherst and 3-9 against Tufts.  The Gulls have had marked success against the Jumbos in recent history however, having won three of the last five, with both losses being five set thrillers.  Endicott stays on the road for a match at Eastern Nazarene on the 22^nd which will be the team's fifth CCC match of the season, and their second to last road contest.  The Gulls have handled the Lions in recent history, not having dropped a set since 2007 and not having dropped a match since 2003, a stretch of 12 straight wins for Endicott.

A three match home stand closes out the month of October and regular season play in Beverly as the Gulls will host Curry and Salem State on the 25^th for a tri-match before hosting the University of New England on the 28^th.  Endicott will look to remain perfect against Curry having won all three matches and all nine sets played against the Colonels, before looking to keep a seven match win streak over the Vikings alive in their battle for the North Shore Cup.  The Gulls then host UNE for their final regular season CCC home contest and will look to continue a string of success against the Nor'Easters as well.  Endicott is 18-3 against UNE all-time and has won 18 of the last 19 meetings.

A November first match at Western New England will see Endicott attempt to snap a two match losing streak to the Golden Bears.  WNE defeated Endicott in a five set match in the regular season in 2013 and then again in the ECAC semifinals by way of a 3-0 score.  Prior to those two losses, Endicott had won 12 of 13 contests over WNE. The match against the Golden Bears will wrap up the 2014 regular season and will have the Gulls prepared for a deep post season run. 

"It was great to be able to scrimmage a little Saturday and start to see what we'll be able to do this season," said Byram.  "We should have solid ball control and a scrappy defense.  We do have some players who can play a variety of positions well and it will be nice to get the season started next weekend with a couple of quality opponents and then have 6 matches at home over the following 2 weeks to figure out what needs to be done.  Last year with only one senior on the roster, we were able to defeat 6 of the region's top ranked opponents including, Roger Williams who was 22^nd in the country at that point and Umass Boston who went on to advance to the NCAA Elite 8.  We are working hard every day to continue to build on that and be prepared for the playoffs."  

Byram and the Gulls kick off their season on August 30th at Wellesley at 2:00 and 4:00 pm.