Endicott Falls to #3 Trinity (Tex.) 3-2

BABSON PARK, Mass. - The Endicott women's volleyball team went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's elite on Friday afternoon, taking Trinity (Tex.) to five sets, ultimately falling by a 3-2 final. The Tigers entered the match as the third ranked team in the most recent AVCA DIII Coaches poll.

After storming out to a 25-21 win in the first, Endicott would go on to drop the next two by scores of 25-15 and 28-26. That tight third set would be avenged in the fourth with the Gulls earning a 25-23 set win to tie the match at 2-2. The Tigers would jump out to a quick 5-2 lead in the fifth and kept the Gulls at bay, claiming the match with a 15-9 win in the deciding set.

Endicott's offensive efforts were led by middle Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.) as the middle dominated, hitting .538 with 14 kills on 26 errorless swings, and freshman Riley Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.) who shattered her previous career-high by finishing with 21 kills, which was also good for the match-high.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott set a new set-high with 19 kills in the first set, as the Gulls hit .371 (19-6-35) as a team in the first.
• Donahue's 21 kill-effort also saw her pick up 10 digs, giving her back-to-back double-doubles. 
• Graduate students Nicole Winkler (Southborough, Mass.) and Meghan Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.) each finished hitting over .300 for the match, as Winkler hit .312 (7-2-16) from the middle, while Frederick hit .385 (6-1-13) from the right.
• Setters Lauren McGrath (Franklin, Mass.) and Danica Glover (Seal Beach, Calif.) directed the Endicott attack well all afternoon, finishing with 26 and 21 assists, respectively. 
• Senior Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.) and freshman Emma Ruel (Duxbury, Mass.) were major factors in Endicott's defensive efforts, as Gilbert finished with 15 digs, while Ruel picked up 12 of her own.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (10-7, 3-0 CCC) gets right back at it tomorrow afternoon as the Gulls take on Babson and Brandeis at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM, on the campus of Brandeis. Trinity takes on Babson tonight and MIT and Tufts tomorrow.

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)