Athletic Information
Men's Volleyball
Gulls offense puts up monster numbers in NECVA win |
Gulls Push Past Lasers, 3-2
March 9, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - The Endicott College men's volleyball team notched a thrilling 3-2 win over Lasell College on Friday night in Beverly, MA. The Gulls took games one and two, 30-25 and 30-28, only to fall in games three and four. The Gulls were able to recover, as they notched the decisive game five victory, 15-9.
Game one began with each side trading the opening eight points. The Lasers pulled ahead on a strong kill from Scott Penna (Harwinton, CT/Lewis S. Mills), putting the visitors up 7-4. The Gulls rallied back to even the game at 7-all when Matt Keepin (Harwinton, CT/Lewis S.Mills) hammered home a point for the Blue and Green. The score would stay tied throughout the middle stage of the first game, as neither team could find any separation. The Gulls built their first lead of the game behind the serving of Ben Foster (Penfield, NY/Penn), as Endicott was able to pull ahead 23-21. Following a Lasell timeout, James Sliva (Monroe, CT/St. Joseph's) and the Endicott offense rattled off three straight scores to put the home team up 26-21. Another Lasell timeout slowed the Gulls momentum, but it wasn't enough as Endicott held on for the 30-25 game one win.
The Gulls got off to a hot start in game two, notching the first four points of the second contest. Following an early Lasell timeout, the Endicott defense kept fueling the streaking Gulls offense, leading the Blue and Green to big 7-1 lead. A.J. Witkofsky (Scotia, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) and Eric Smith (Concord, MA/Concord Carlisle) notched back-to-back scores, while senior George Chapell (Haverhill, MA/Haverhill) led at the net, giving Endicott the 15-6 lead midway through game two. Witkofsky continued to be a force upfront, as the Gulls cruised to a 19-10 lead. The visitors rallied to pull within two at 26-24, but the Gulls were just too strong down the stretch, eventually notching the 30-28 win.
The Lasers regrouped and came out strong in the early going of game three. Lasell built an early 10-3 lead on the back of the their front line, putting the Gulls in an early hole. Following an Endicott timeout, the visitors kept the pressure on by taking the next two scores. Endicott responded with five straight points, including two big blocks by Matt Keepin. Bryan Bobo (Oneida, NY/Oneida) slowed the Endicott charge, as he turned in two straight blocks for the visitors. Lasell would build their lead to 26-16 on a point from Andy Cass (Wakefield, RI/South Kingston), as the Lasers took game three, 30-18.
Lasell picked up where they left off in the opening minutes of game four, as the Lasers took an early 5-2 lead. James Sliva picked up a big kill for the Gulls, as the home team cut the advantage to 7-5. Moments later, Witkofsky pulled the Gulls even at 13-all on a nifty little drop-shot, tying the score for the first time in the game. The back and forth play continued over the next several minutes, with Lasell holding onto a slight three-point lead. The combination of Sliva and Witkofsky got the Gulls back within striking distance at 25-23. Following the best rally of the night, a controversial yellow card was awarded in the Lasers' favor. The visitors built upon their founded momentum and scored five of the next seven scores to force a deciding game five, 30-26.
Game five was a see-saw affair as each team traded points in the opening minutes. A.J. Witkofsky kept his big night going as he picked up back-to-back kills for the home team, putting the Gulls up 6-4. Eric Smith put the Blue and Green up 8-6 as he hammered home a crucial point along the far sideline. Endicott's lead would grow to 13-9 on consecutive miscues by the Lasers. Witkofsky closed out the game and the match as he picked up the game winning block for the 15-9 game five win.
Lasell was led by Andy Cass' 16 kills and 15 digs. The Lasers got 51 assists from Bryan Bobo and 15 kills from Dwayne Cartagena (Cambridge, MA/Cambridge Rindge) in the losing effort. Endicott was paced by A.J. Witkofsky's 20 kills and school record 10 blocks. The Gulls got a game-high 21 kill performance from Eric Smith, who also notched 15 digs in the win. Ben Foster handed out 66 assists, while Dan Coleman racked-up 16 digs for the Blue and Green.
With the win, Endicott moves to 14-12 overall and 9-2 in the NECVA. The victory guarantees the Gulls the 3rd place position in the upcoming conference playoffs in Rochester, New York on the weekend of March 30th. Endicott gets back to work on Sunday, as they host Mount Ida and 3rd ranked Carthage College at 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM respectively.
