Gulls edged by defending national champions
Oct. 10, 2008
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Endicott College women's volleyball team hung tough with the defending NCAA Division III Champion Washington University Bears, losing in three-straight competitive sets 25-17, 25-19, and 25-14. The Gulls also suffered a 3-0 setback to Christopher Newport in the nightcap Friday evening's Washington University Invitational.
Steph Wiese (Higganum, Conn.) led the way for Endicott against the fourth-ranked Bears, notching six kills and 11 digs in the setback. Sophomore Brittany Phillips (Sudbury, Mass.) was also strong, posting five kills and 15 digs. Amy Grigg (Vernon, Conn.) also had five kills and two blocks, while Casey Ward (Monroe, Conn.) had 13 assists.
Washington U. hit just .191 as a team, but was able to build decent leads in all three sets. WU jumped ahead 9-1 in the first set, but a late Endicott rally, aided by a rash of Washington U. attack errors, closed the gap and the Bears won 25-17. A 5-0 Washington University scoring run broke a 4-4 tie in the second frame, and despite Endicott cutting its deficit to just one point, WU took the set, 25-19. The Red and Green scored the first seven points of the third frame and went on to post a 25-14 victory to clinch the match.
In their second match, the Gulls fell to Christopher Newport 25-22, 25-12 and 26-24. Wiese finished the three-set loss with seven kills, five digs and two aces. Phillips had six kills and seven digs while Grigg posted three blocks.
Endicott returns to action on Saturday in day two of the invitational. The Blue and Green will Illinois-Wesleyan and Baldwin-Wallace at 10:00 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., respectively.