Emerson Edges Men’s Volleyball In Five-Set Thriller

BEVERLY, Mass. – In its first home match of the 2016 season, the Endicott men's volleyball team fell to Emerson College, 3-2, by scores of 25-21, 25-18, 16-25, 19-25, and 16-14 on Tuesday night inside MacDonald Gymnasium.

Sophomore outside hitter Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) led the Gulls with his first double-double of the season by compiling 13 kills and 11 digs. Daniel Toth (Glenwood, N.J.) and Jeremy Doski (Sandy Hook, Conn.) both chipped in with 11 kills apiece, while freshman setter Devin Racey (Voorheesville, N.Y.) produced his second career double-double on 43 assists and 12 digs.

Emerson freshman outside hitter Mark Piorkowski (Montclair, N.J.) guided the Lions' attack with a career-high 26 kills (.300 hitting percentage) alongside 10 digs for his first career double-double. Senior Jackson Wiley (Los Angeles, Calif.) also contributed 10 kills and five digs, while Brendan McGonigle (Los Angeles, Calif.) facilitated the offense with a season-high 46 assists in addition to his 10 digs.

Trailing 2-0 in the match, Endicott stormed back behind a set-high .517 hitting percentage in set three (25-16) and a .289 hitting percentage in set four (.289). Riorden led the Gulls comeback effort as the sophomore put home eight kills and registered seven digs, combined, between both sets. Doski also aided the offense with a combined eight kills and two service aces.

Set five featured six ties, but the lead never flipped sides in favor of Endicott as the Lions eventually put away the match after breaking a 14-all tie with a kill from Piorkowski and an attacking error. The Gulls rallied from a three-point deficit (12-9) behind two errors and a putaway from Alex Wasik (Milford, Mass.), however, both teams exchanged kills before Emerson went on to win the match behind Piorkowski.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Tonight's match featured 17 ties and nine lead changes.
• Emerson grabbed its first win in the all-time series against Endicott (5-1).
• Endicott's John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.) filled the stat sheet with eight kills, nine digs, and six block assists.
• Wasik finished the night with eight kills, four block assists, and two digs.

FOR THE FOES

• Nick Rusk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) notched eight kills, 16 digs, and one block solo in the win.
• Jared Gross (Wexford, Pa.) recorded a match-high and season-high 23 digs.
• The Lions are now 1-1 on the road this season.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (1-4) takes will play Bard (10:30 AM) and MIT (1 PM) in Cambridge, Mass. this Saturday. Emerson (2-2) travels to Lasell on Tuesday, February 2 for a league matchup at 6:30 p.m. 

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