Four Gulls Named to All-CCC Volleyball Team; #4 Gulls Host #5 UNE Tonight

2014 All-CCC Women's Volleyball Release

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.- On the morning of the team's Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Quarterfinal match against the University of New England, the Endicott women's volleyball team learned that four players had received All-CCC recognition for their play throughout the course of the regular season.  The Gulls saw Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Cali.) receive First Team honors, Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) receive Second Team honors, and Haley Knapp (Valencia, Calif.) and Erika Trudon (Coventry, Conn.) receive Honorable Mention nods.  

McIntyre, the team's lone First Team representative, has been a pillar of consistency for the Gulls as the top outside on the team.  A six rotation player, the sophomore leads the Gulls with 259 kills on the season and with 65 in CCC play.  She also leads the team in points with 309.0 and points/set with 3.1.  Her 252 digs are second on the team to only libero Erika Trudon, as is her digs/set average of 2.55.  Her First Team honors come one year after being named All-CCC Honorable Mention as a freshman.

VandeMerkt, who has now earned Second Team honors in back-to-back seasons, has dished out 911 assists to date on the season, placing her just one assist shy of 8th all-time in single season assist totals in Endicott history.  The junior also reached a career milestone of 3,000 assists during the season as she now stands second all-time in Endicott history with 3,156 to date.  VandeMerkt's 911 assists leads the CCC as do her 225 assists in CCC play while she is second in both with assists/set with 9.11 and 9.38.  Her seven double-double performances on the season are second only to McIntyre's eight in 2014 as the setter is fourth on the team in digs with 229.

Knapp receives All-CCC Honorable Mention honors following a regular season in which she finished second on the team in overall hitting percentage with .217, kills with 220, points with 288 and points/set with 3.0.  The sophomore middle leads the team in total blocks with 64, block assists with 58 and in blocks/set with 0.67.  Her 0.79 blocks/set in CCC play tie her for fourth in the conference while her 3.0 points/set tie her for 10th.

Trudon, a defensive standout for the Gulls, has averaged 4.91 digs/set on the season which is the 5th best average in single season Endicott history.  The libero has totaled 437 digs on the year and her average in CCC play of 5.2 digs/set is second in the conference.  In addition to her defensive play, Trudon's serve has also been a weapon for the Gulls as she leads the team with 41 aces in 2014, good for a 0.46 aces/set average which also leads the team.  Having missed the last three matches due to injury, the sophomore has earned All-CCC recognition for the second straight season, earning Second Team honors as a freshman in 2013.  

The honorees and the #4 Gulls get back to action tonight as they play host to #5 UNE at 7:00 p.m. in a rematch of last week's 3-0 sweep that went in favor of the Gulls.  Endicott is 19-3 all-time against the Nor'Easters and have gone 19-1 in the last 20 meetings between the two squads.  The winner of this match with advance to face #1 Roger Williams, a team that went undefeated in regular season CCC play and earned a bye in the first round as a result.