Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. -- Fourth-seeded Endicott College had four players reach double digits in kills, helping secure a 3-1 victory over No. 5 University of New England in a first round match of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Women's Volleyball Championship on Tuesday evening (Nov. 4) at MacDonald Gymnasium. Set scores were 25-21, 25-12, 18-25, and 25-20.

The Gulls (16-15) defeated UNE for the second time in a week to move on to face top-seeded Roger Williams in the semifinals on Thursday. Big Blue's 2014 campaign comes to an end with a record of 11-16.

Tori McIntyre and Elise Morgan each totaled 12 kills while Lexi Watts and Hayley Knapp added 11 apiece for the hosts. McInture also dropped in three aces, and Watts connected with a .526 hitting percentage. Alleigh VandeMerkt racked up 44 assists to go with nine digs. Cydney Pierce corralled a match-high 17 digs.

The Nor'easters received 12 kills out of sophomore Grayson Szczepaniak, and 10 more from senior Leah Janelle. First-year Courtney Lambrese contributed seven kills, as did senior Rachel McGahie, who also registered a team-best 15 digs. First-year Brooke Gibbons recorded 33 assists and eight digs, and sophomore Nikki Mathewson notched 14 digs and three aces.

After Endicott jumped out to a 6-1 cushion, Big Blue responded with seven of the next 10 points to pull within one (9-8). The Gulls never relinquished the lead, though, which shifted between two and six for the duration of the opening stanza. McIntrye had five winners in the period.

Another quick start (5-0) by the home team was countered by UNE (6-5), but EC gradually pulled away and finished with six in-a-row to go up, 2-0.

The Nor'easters trailed 8-5 in the 3rd before embarking on a 9-1 spurt to move in front, and the visitors' advantage was no less than four the rest of frame. Szczepaniak tallied five kills in the set.

In the 4th, the teams had played to six ties by the time it was 11-all on the scoreboard. Watts and Kelli Sugrue put down a block on the ensuing point, before a kill by Watts and an ace from VandeMerkt, and the three-point bump lifted the Gulls ahead for good.