NCAA TOURNAMENT: Endicott Falls to Babson 3-2 to Close Out NCAA Tournament Run

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Endicott women's volleyball team came up just short in its NCAA DIII Tournament match against Babson, falling by a 3-2 final to end the 2021 campaign. The Gulls end the year with a 21-9 record overall, while the Beavers improve to 23-7, and will take on the winner of No. 7 Juniata against Gallaudet in the second round.

Endicott took a 25-21 first set before dropping the second 25-20 to even the match at 1-1. The Blue and Green would then taking a 2-1 advantage after a commanding 25-14 set win in the third, before Babson countered with a 25-21 fourth-set win to even the match at two and set up a deciding fifth set. The two squads would trade blows before Babson pulled ahead to go up 11-6. A 5-0 run by the Gulls tied the set at 11-11, as the two teams then alternated points to tie the set at 13-13. The Beavers would then go on to win the next two points, clinching the set 15-13, and the match 3-2.

Riley Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.) and Amanda Gilbert (Hopkinton, Mass.) were dominant on the pin, finishing with 21 and 16 kills, respectively. Donahue's 21 kills came with just four errors on 42 swings for a .452 average, while she added seven digs and three aces. The 23 kills set a new career-best mark for the freshman and led all student-athletes in the match, as did her .452 hitting percentage. Gilbert's 16 kills were the second-best mark in the match, as she committed just four errors as well on 52 attempts to hit .222. The senior also collected 13 digs for her ninth double-double of the season.

Opposite Krystina Schueler (Trumbull, Conn.) finished the match hitting .316 after posting eight kills with two errors on 19 attempts while adding three assist blocks. Senior middle Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.) finished with six kills and a match-high six blocks to lead Endicott's defensive efforts at the net, while libero Emma Ruel (Duxbury, Mass.) anchored the back row, finishing with 15 digs of her own. Setters Lauren McGrath (Franklin, Mass.) and Amelia Beigel (Amherst, Mass.) finished with 28 and 25 assists, respectively, as the duo led the Gulls to hit .255 for the match, compared to .176 for the Beavers.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• McGrath's team-leading 28 assists were joined by a match-high 17 digs, for her seventh double-double of the year.
• In the match, Gilbert eclipsed the 300 kill mark for the first time in her career, finishing the season with 314, giving her 742 for her career.
• The two team's traded 3-2 decisions in 2021, with the Gulls winning 3-2 on October 9.
• The Gulls finished the season 21-9 overall, the second straight season in which they eclipsed the 20 win mark while finishing with single-digit losses.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (21-9) bows out of the 2021 NCAA DIII Tournament, while Babson (23-7) advances to take on the winner of No. 7 Juniata and Gallaudet.

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Photo Courtesy of RIT Athletic Communications)