Gulls Rally To Defeat Emerson In Five Set Thriller

BEVERLY, Mass.- The Endicott women's volleyball team extended its record to 5-0 to start the 2015 season by rallying to defeat Emerson 3-2 on Tuesday night. 

Endicott won the opening frame 25-16 before dropping the second and third, 17-25 and 23-25, respectively. 

Down 2-1 entering the fourth set, the Gulls upped their defensive play and used their serving as a weapon to keep the Lions' attack on its heels and won 25-16 in the fourth to force a fifth set which the Gulls would take by a 15-8 final.

The Gulls received standout offensive performances from Hayley Knapp (Valencia, Calif.) and Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Calif.) as the duo combined for 24 of the team's 54 kills on the night, while the two hit at a .356 clip. Both juniors also contributed on the defensive ends as well as McIntyre recorded seven digs while Knapp registered a team high three blocks.

BEYOND THE BOX

• Sophomore libero Cydney Pierce (Santa Barbara, Calif.) set a new career high in digs with 24, eclipsing her previous high of 23 that was set last year against the University of New England on October 28.
• Graduate student Alleigh VandeMerkt's (Riverside, Ill.) five aces were one off her career high of six that she tallied last year against Colby-Sawyer.
• Junior Lilly Benabou (Medway, Mass.) was second on the team and third in the match with 12 kills, falling just two shy of her career best that she set two years ago in the team's 3-2 win over NCAA DII St. Anselm.

FOR THE FOES

• Jules Augustine (Skaneateles, N.Y.) and Fara Cohen (Morristown, N.J.) recorded 12 and 10 kills respectively, marking just the second time this season that Endicott has allowed two opposing players to gain double-digit kill totals in a match.
• Libero Sam Horton (Cartersville, Ga.) recorded a match high 24 digs to lead the Lions' defense and added two aces.
• Emerson's serving proved tough at points as Kelley Guerra (Randolph, N.J.) tied VandeMerkt for the match high in aces with five.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott will play host to day one of the MIT Invitational on Friday as the Gulls take on a pair of NESCAC powers in Bates at 4:30 p.m. and Bowdoin at 6:30 p.m., before heading into Cambridge to battle Wellesley and Scranton at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.  Emerson is off until Saturday when the Lions host a tri-match with Lesley and Western New England with first serve set for 11:00 a.m. 

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