BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott College juniors Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Calif.) and Hayley Knapp (Valencia, Calif.) each recorded nine kills as the Gulls defeated the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team in straight sets (25-16, 25-14, 25-20) on Saturday morning in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action. With the win, the Gulls improve to 11-5 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Wentworth dips to 4-9 and 0-2.
Senior Hannah Bailey (Plymouth, Mass.) paced the Leopards with eight kills, while recoding eight digs. Sophomores Sydney Meyers (Washington, D.C.) and Caroline Shea (Abington, Mass.) recorded six kills, respectively, and combined for 15 digs and a pair of blocks. Junior Amanda Hunton (Monroe, N.Y.) tallied a 20 assists, while classmate Jordan Young (Derry, N.H.) and freshman Sarah Hyndman (Encinitas, Calif.) combined for five kills.
Endicott graduate student Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) matched Hunton with 20 assists, sophomore Cydney Pierce (Carpinteria, Calif.) recorded a match-high 16 digs and junior Kelli Sugrue (Tewksbury, Mass.) hit .625 – the best averaged recorded by all players.
Both teams kept things close throughout the opening stanza before Knapp's kill initiated a 6-1 run, pushing the host Gulls ahead, 16-9. Shea helped the Black and Gold trim the deficit, registering a kill that led to four straight points to bring Wentworth within three. Endicott halted the rally with a kill by McIntyre, which resulted in a 9-3 run to close out the session.
Endicott's momentum continued in the second set with a 4-0 run early in the stanza that was started by Sugrue's kill, stretching the Gulls' advantage to 12-5. Wentworth did respond with a kill by Bailey – setup by Hunton - but the Gulls countered, pushing their lead to 21-8. Wentworth responded againt with a pair of three-point spurts, but it wasn't enough as service error provided Endicott with its second victory of the match.
An early four-point spurt in the third set put Endicott ahead for good, securing a 13-7 advantage. Wentworth did rally back with a trio of two-point spurts to close the gap at 20-19. Endicott pushed ahead for good with an another four-point run initiated by senior Lexi Watts (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) to secure its first conference victory of the season.
Both teams return to action next Tuesday, September 29 as Wentworth travels to Roger Williams University for a 7:00 p.m. match, while Endicott visits Curry College for a 6:00 p.m. start.
