No. 2 Endicott Sweeps No. 7 Gordon to Advance to CCC Semifinals

BEVERLY, Mass. - With newly named Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Player of the Year Emma Mancini (Lynnfield, Mass.) leading the offensive attack, the Endicott women's volleyball team swept cross-town rival Gordon 3-0 on Tuesday night. With the win, #2 Endicott (20-9) will now host #3 Salve Regina on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the CCC Semifinals, while #7 Gordon ends its season at 15-13.

The Gulls were able to sweep the Fighting Scots by scores of 25-15, 25-20 and 25-19. Endicott was able to jump out to a quick 10 point lead in the first, going up 12-2 after a Zoey Gifford (Natick, Mass.) ace. Gordon would close to within four at 18-14 before Endicott went on a 7-1 run the rest of the way. Set two proved to be a much closer contest that saw Gordon hold a two point edge just over mid-way through the set at 17-15. Senior Cydney Pierce (Carpinteria, Calif.) would go on a four point run to give Endicott a 19-17 lead that they would never give up, eventually taking it by a 25-20 final. The third would be more of the same as Gordon held a 12-9 advantage just under halfway through the first before Endicott went on a five point run. Behind the serve of Mackenzie Kennedy (Andover, Mass.), the Gulls reclaimed the lead at 14-12 and would hold on for a 25-19 win to complete the sweep.

BEYOND THE BOX

• Mancini impressed throughout, finishing with a match-best 16 kills on 38 attempts with four errors to hit .316 for the match. The outside added 14 digs defensively to record her fifth double-double of the season.
• Joining her with the only other double-double in the match was sophomore setter Zoey Gifford who posted 36 assists and 13 digs in the win. Gifford's setting helped Endicott out-hit Gordon .176 to .049 for the match.
• Endicott's defensive effort was led by libero Cydney Pierce who posted a team-best 15 digs, while Kennedy and Mareena Clotfelter (Poulsbo, Wash.) finished with six each.
• Remi Quesnelle (Sunderland, Mass.) and Lauren Sheehan (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) each finished with nine kills in the win, while Emily Diezemann (Peabody, Mass.) finished with four kills while hitting .400.

FOR THE FOES

• Libero Jenny Curtiss (Larkspur, Colo.) led all players with 25 digs in the loss.
• Outside Mackenzie Hinds (Higganum, Conn.) finished with 10 kills on 55 swings for the Fighting Scots, both of which were a team-high mark.
• Setter Ashlyn Gergins (Murrieta, Calif.) finished the match with 21 assists and nine digs, narrowly missing out on the double-double.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott, the #2 seed in the CCC Tournament, will host #3 Salve Regina in the semifinals on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Seahawks advanced after beating #6 UNE 3-1 on Tuesday night.