(Courtesy of Endicott Sports Information)
BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott's Steph Wiese (Higganum, Conn.) and Elyse Barbour (Greenville, R.I.) each notched eight kills apiece as the Gulls swept the Wentworth Institute of Technology, 3-0, on Wednesday night in TCCC women's volleyball action in Beverly, Mass. The win moves the Gulls to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in league play, while the Leopards fall to 3-14 and 1-2 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference.
The visitors hung tight in the opening set, battling the Blue and Green to an 11-all score midway through game number one. A Mollie Postma (Everett, Wash.) service run launched the Gulls ahead for good as the freshman dropped in two aces and helped aid a five point scoring streak. From there, the Gulls were able to secure the 25-15 victory.
It was much of the same in the second set as Wentworth stuck around for the opening points but fizzled as the game continued. With the score knotted at eight, Endicott rattled off five straight points to pull ahead 13-8. The lead would extend all the way to 22-15, however the Leopards made a late charge behind three kills from Julie Bruton (Montgomery, Texas). It would be too little too late for the visitors as Endicott held on for the 25-22 win.
The third set was all Endicott as the Gulls cruised to a 25-10 decision. Jackie Gardner (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) had four kills in the frame while Sarah Van Haaran (Warwick, R.I.) had four service aces. The Gulls' defense combined for one solo and four assisted blocks and held Wentworth to just three kills in the game's final set.
Brittany Phillips (Sudbury, Mass.) contributed seven kills on the night to go along with Wiese and Barbour atop the Gull leaders. Jackie Gardner finished the evening with six kills and a solo block while Ally Murphy (Gilford, N.H.) had 18 assists and four digs. Endicott swung at a .292 clip as a team in the win.
Wentworth got a match-high 12 kills from Julie Bruton, seven of which came in the second set. Courtney Zink (East Falmouth, Mass.) tallied 16 assists while Nicole Wetherbee (Pembroke, Mass.) had seven digs.
The Gulls retake the court on Saturday with a TCCC Homecoming tri-match against Eastern Nazarene and the University of New England. Wentworth looks to halt season-long six-game losing streak on Saturday with a pair of games against Colby-Sawyer and Gordon College in New London, N.H.
