Morgan Leads Gulls to Homecoming Sweep Over Gordon

BEVERLY, Mass.- Competing in their portion of Endicott's Homecoming festivities, the women's volleyball team swept Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) and cross-town rival Gordon 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-15).  Endicott was able to hit at nearly a .300 clip while holding Gordon to just a .051 average.  With the win, Endicott improves to 8-7 (1-0) while Gordon falls to 7-8 (0-2). 

The Gulls neutralized the Fights Scots attack early, keeping them to a .000 clip in the first and second sets.  In the first, Gordon mustered a line of just 5-5-28, compared to Endicott's steady 15-8-34 (.206) line.  The outside combo of Elise Morgan (Holbrook, Mass.) and Tori McIntyre (San Diego, Calif.) dominated, combining for a 10-2-18 line (.444).  Morgan claimed six of those kills while McIntyre chipped in four kills to pair with her four digs.  Junior Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) ran an efficient offense, racking up 12 assists in the set.  Sophomore Erika Trudon (Coventry, Conn.) led the defensive efforts with five digs in the first.

Gordon was led by freshman Meghan Hokanson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) as the middle record three kills on seven swings for a .286 average.  She was the only Scot to record multiple kills in the set as setter Joy Kimmel (Madison, Conn.) collected five assists.  Libero Maggie Risma (Hudson, Ohio) matched Trudon's defensive efforts with five digs.

The second set saw the Gulls again put forth a consistent offensive performance while limiting Gordon to a .000 average.  Endicott was led again by Morgan as she added four kills to her line on 10 error-free swings for a .400 average.  Sophomore Hayley Knapp (Valencia, Calif.) was close on her heels as she knocked down three kills on six attempts for a .500 average.  McIntyre and Trudon impressed defensively, racking up seven and four digs respectively while VandeMerkt added eight assists to her total to go with five digs.

Gordon saw Jessica Burdick (Brewerton, N.Y.) record a team high three kills while Jenna Labbadia (Berlin, Conn.) and Laura Schmidt (Stuart, Fla.) each record two kills without any errors.  Kimmel impressed with seven assists and four digs.  Hokanson and Faith Gerdes (Wall Lake, Iowa) recorded two assist blocks in the set as the Fighting Scots out-blocked the Gulls 2-1.

The third and final set would see the Gulls put on an impressive offensive performance in front of the raucous Homecoming crowd as they recorded a 25-15 set win behind a .484 hitting percentage.  Endicott tallied 17 kills, on 31 swings with just two errors in the set compared to nine kills and a .200 average from Gordon.  The Gulls received a set high four kills on six swings from McIntyre while middles Knapp and Kelli Sugrue (Tewksbury, Mass.) combined for five kills on six errorless swings.  In the set, nine different Endicott players recorded at least one kill.

VandeMerkt capped her day with 14 more assists to give her 34 for the match.  Morgan's 11 kills led the match as she hit .370.  McIntyre recorded yet another double-double as she picked up 10 kills and 13 digs in the win.  Trudon finished with 12 digs, second only to McIntyre.

Gordon was led by Labbadia as the sophomore hit .462 behind a 6-0-13 line.  Hokanson was close behind, picking up four kills on 14 attempts.  Kimmel dished out 21 assists while Risma led the defensive efforts with 11 digs.

With the win, Endicott improves to 8-7 (1-0) while Gordon falls to 7-8 (0-2).  Up next for the Gulls are the Judges of Brandeis who come to town on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. start.  That will be your last chance to catch Endicott as home as they then take to the road for the next six matches including a trip to California.  Gordon returns to action on Tuesday when they play host to CCC foe UNE at 7:00 p.m.