Endicott Edge Emerson in Non-Conference Matchup; VandeMerkt with 40 Assists

BOSTON, Mass.- Behind match high performances in assists, hitting percentage and aces from three different players, Endicott defeated Emerson 3-1 in a non-conference battle on Tuesday night.  The Gulls were able to take the first two sets with relative ease, winning 25-17 and 25-15  before falling 21-25 in the third to force extra sets.  Endicott was able to regain composure and close out a tight 28-26 set in the fourth to improve their 2014 record to 3-3 overall while Emerson falls to 5-3.  

The Gulls took the first two sets with relative ease, hitting .323 and .391 in the first and second respectively.  Over those two, Endicott combined to hit 21 kills with just two errors on 54 attempts for a .333 clip.  The Lions relatively matched the Gulls in the first, hitting at a .300 clip of their own before struggling mightily in the second, hitting just .034.  

Both teams would battle over the next two frames with Endicott's offense finding it a bit more difficult to find success, posting averages of .103 and .130 the rest of the way.  Emerson was able to hit .200 even in the third before falling back to a .121 clip in the final frame.  

The fourth set, the closest of the three, saw 11 tie scores and five lead changes throughout the course of the 54 point set.  Elise Morgan (Holbrook, Mass.) stepped up big when it mattered the most, recording eight of her team high 12 kills in the fourth set alone while hitting at a .316 clip in the set and also adding in an assist block.  

Morgan also hit a match high with a .333 average, while picking up two digs and three assist blocks on the night.  The Gulls saw junior setter Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) record 40 assists, good for a 10/set average, and five digs with three kills.  The 40 assists were a match high and extends her double-digit assist total to an astounding 77 matches, dating back to her very first match in an Endicott uniform in the 2012 season.  The Gulls saw outside Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Calif.) record a match high three service aces, as the Gulls out-served the Lions 11 aces to six.  McIntyre completed her night just one kill short of a double-double with nine kills and 12 digs.

Sophomore Hayley Knapp (Valencia, Calif.) continued her strong start to the season as she posted nine kills and 2.5 total blocks (1 S, 3 A) to tie with Morgan for the team lead in points with 13.5.  Libero Erika Trudon (Coventry, Conn.) kept up her torrid pace defensively, averaging 5.25 digs/set on her way to a 21 dig night.  The sophomore has now recorded double digit totals in digs in every match this season and is averaging 4.96 digs/set on the year.

Emerson was led offensively by Jules Augustine (Skaneateles, N.Y.) who picked up a match high 14 kills on the night.  Setter Elaine Nichols (Bountiful, Utah) led the offense with 37 assists as she also recorded 10 digs in the defeat.  Libero Sam Harton (Cartersville, Ga.) chipped in with a match high 24 dig performance.

With the win, Endicott improves to 3-3 on the young season and will now host day one of the MIT Invitational against Suffolk and Bates starting at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday before heading to New York on Saturday.  Emerson now falls to 5-3 and has a tri-match against a pair of GNAC teams in Rivier and Regis.