Endicott Falls to MIT and Wellesley at MIT Invitational

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Endicott women's volleyball team dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions on Saturday, falling to both MIT and Wellesley in straight sets. Endicott will now play host to Amherst on Wednesday, at 7:00 p.m. 

MATCH ONE: MIT 3 Endicott 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-13)

In the opening match of the day, Endicott took on the host, MIT. The Engineers pulled out a close first set by a score of 25-19, before taking control of the final two by scores of 25-15 and 25-13. MIT's offense was the story of the match as the eventual MIT Invitational champs hit at a .330 clip for the entire match, registering 38 kills and just nine errors on 88 swings. The Engineers were also strong from the service line, finishing with nine aces in the three sets. 

Endicott struggled to get going offensively, hitting .131 for the entire match, as the team collectively posted 31 kills and 17 errors on 107 swings. Senior Lauren Sheehan (Bainbridge, Island, Wash.) finished with seven kills on 18 swings as she hit a team-best .278. Emma Mancini (Lynnfield, Mass.) tied her with seven kills while also notching a team-best 10 digs. Outside Alex Dippel (Fallston, Md.) led the Gulls with nine kills on 23 swings. Setter Mareena Clotfelter (Poulsbo, Wash.) finished the match with 16 assists and six digs.

MATCH TWO: Wellesley 3 Endicott 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-23)

The Gulls again battled against a quality opponent in the last match of MIT Invitational action, falling to Wellesley 3-0. 

Endicott freshman Nicole Winkler (Southborough, Mass.) impressed throughout, finishing with eight kills on 12 error-free swings as she hit .667 for the match. She also pitched in an ace and an assist block in the setback. Setter Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) picked up 14 assists, while Dippel and Mancini finished with seven and six kills, respectively. Defensively, Cydney Pierce (Carpinteria, Calif.) led Endicott with 10 digs, while Dippel finished with eight.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott returns home to the friendly confines of the MacDonald Gymnasium on Wednesday when they will play host to Amherst at 7:00 p.m.