Endicott Nearly Upsets #9 Medaille on Day One of the Springfield Invitational

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – On day one of the Springfield Invitational, the Endicott men's volleyball nearly upset the #9 ranked team in the country, Medaille, in a five-set match and suffered a straight-set loss to #2 Springfield as the Gulls continue the home stretch towards the NECC Tournament. The Gulls (16-10) will look to rebound tomorrow against Marymount (Va.) and #7 Stevens on day two of the invitational.

Match One: Endicott 2, #9 Medaille 3 (23-25, 15-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-12)

Sophomore outside hitter John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.) struck a match-high 13 kills, seniors Brennan Lowe (Malibu, Calif.) and Travis Netherton (Waukegan, Ill.) added nine kills apiece, and sophomore setter Tyler Bacon (Cypress, Calif.) recorded 37 assists but the Gulls were unable to outlast the Mavericks in this five-set thriller.

Senior libero Aaron Jessee (Okinawa, Japan) recorded eight digs with senior Josh Anderson (La Canada, Calif.) adding seven digs. Endicott was active on the block as senior middle Mike Coniglione (Glenville, N.Y.) totaled six blocks with one coming on a solo stuff. Netherton and Osborne each had their hands in three separate blocks as well.

As a team, Endicott struggled with a .161 hitting percentage as Lowe led the way with at a .300 clip from the outside. The Gulls opposition struggled at times as well at a .209 hitting percentage but got double-digit kills from three different players.

Match Two: Endicott 0, #2 Springfield 3 (25-9, 25-12, 25-13)

Pitted up against one of the nation's top teams and the defending NCAA champions, Endicott faltered as they faced a Pride team that hit .435 as a team and recorded eight team blocks.

Netherton led the team with six kills overall while Coniglione added three kills on five errorless swings. Bacon and sophomore setter Cameron Little (San Diego, Calif.) combined for 11 assists while Jessee, once again, led defensively with five digs.