MEN'S VOLLEYBALL SEASON IN REVIEW

Boston, Mass. – For the third consecutive year, the Emmanuel College men's volleyball program fought its way to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament finals.  After upsetting No. 2 Wentworth Institute of Technology in the conference semifinals, the 3rd-seeded Saints suffered a four-set loss to Rivier University in the championship match.  The squad went 18-12 overall with an 11-5 record against GNAC opponents. With no seniors on the roster, the young Saints will not lose anybody to graduation this year and hope to return all fifteen veterans for another run at the conference title.

The Saints began their season at home in an exhibition match against Fanshawe College, a Canadian school touring the region and playing other schools in the area. The Saints were missing starting junior setter Sean Baxley (Saint James, N.Y.) and all-conference outside hitter Ashanti Jackson (Sacramento, Calif.) but played the Falcons tough, despite the 3-0 set-back.

The regular NCAA season began a week later in a home match against Southern Vermont College. Led by junior captain Zach Whitermore (Whitehall, Pa.) with 13 kills on 22 swings, the Saints came away victorious in a 3-1 match being played again without Baxley or freshman setter Jorge Rojas (San Juan, Puerto Rico). Sophomore defensive specialist Kevin Gallegos (Los Angeles, Calif.) stepped in as setter and recorded 42 assists in the win.

The victory was short lived as New York University defeated the Saints only a few days later, 3-0, despite an efficient offensive attack from middle Wyatt Cooper (Ridgefield, Conn.) with 8 kills on 12 swings.

Emmanuel turned its gaze to a tri-match, in which they split the afternoon with a loss to Endicott, 3-1, but rebounded with a 3-0 victory against Elms. Sophomore outside hitter Drew Jordan (Braintree, Mass.) and junior opposite Austin Cockerill (Darien, Conn.) both hit .417 in the win for the Saints.

The next week of competition saw four conference games, beginning with a 3-0 victory over Johnson and Wales University, behind a double-double from Jackson, amassing 10 kills and 14 digs. Next up was the squad's first road game of the year at Lasell College, falling to the Lasers 3-0. It did not get any easier for the Saints as they took on No. 1 ranked Rivier at home, but dropped the highly contested match 3-1. The offense was led by outsides Jackson and Whitermore, getting 14 and 12 kills respectively, but could not overtake the nation's most highly ranked team.

The next day, the Saints saw a 3-0 victory at Anna Maria College behind an impressive 7 kills on 8 swings by junior captain Ryan Kessler (Santa Clarita, Calif.).  A day later, they hit the road for New York City where they were to play a tournament at Baruch College, matched up against the No. 7 ranked hosts, No. 12 ranked Stevens Institute of Technology, and No. 11 ranked Elmira College.

A strong offense and solid blocking led the Saints to a 3-1 victory against Baruch. Kessler chipped in with 12 kills and 2 service aces, while Garret McGarry (Chicago, Ill.) totaled 8 kills and 5 blocks. Baxley recorded 39 assists in the win. The second day of the tournament was met with some difficulty as Emmanuel dropped both matches 3-0 to their opponents. Jackson was elected to the All-Tournament Team for his performance that weekend.

Emmanuel returned to Massachusetts to play No. 3 ranked Springfield College but fell 3-0 to the Pride. The next day the Saints welcomed Albertus Magnus College to the Jean Yawkey Center and promptly handed the Falcons their first conference loss of the season with a 3-1 victory led by McGarry's 11 kills.

After a long break from games, the team traveled to Beverly to play in the Endicott College March Mania Tournament. Their first match was played against Ramapo College that resulted in a 3-1 loss, despite a double-double from Kessler, totaling 18 kills and 11 digs. The Saints bounced back with a pair of three-set sweeps the next day against Daniel Webster and Sage.  Due to his phenomenal play over the weekend, Baxley was elected to the All-Tournament Team.

The schedule turned quickly into the heart of conference play. A 3-1 victory over Emerson College, behind 14 kills from Cockerill and 15 from Whitermore, led the Saints to their next opponent, Wentworth Institute of Technology, where 5 sets had to determine the victory. Jackson tallied 19 kills in a personal season-best and McGarry led the defensive effort with 11 blocks for the match, as the Saints walked away victorious against the Leopards.

The Saints would then take on Rivier University again, this time at Albertus Magnus, falling to the Raiders, 3-0. In their second match of the day, EC defeated the hosts 3-1 behind 16 kills from Whitermore.

The next week of competition saw 3-0 victories against Mount Ida, Lasell, Anna Maria, and Emerson to put Emmanuel at 10-3 in conference matches. But a 3-1 loss to Wentworth dropped the Saints out of the two-seed in the GNAC playoffs, despite 17 digs from sophomore libero Ernie Gurule (Los Angeles, Calif.).  A 3-0 victory over Mount Ida that weekend put EC in a good spot to solidify the three-seed. All the Emmanuel would need was to take one set from Johnson and Wales to lock up the three spot.  The Saints succeeded, despite a 3-2 loss to the Wildcats.

Emmanuel went into the GNAC playoffs as the three-seed set to play Emerson in the first round. The Saints made quick work of the cross-town rivals, dropping the Lions in three sets, despite missing Cooper due to a concussion.

The semifinal match-up was to be played at Wentworth, where two aces from sophomore middle Mike Felix (Mission Hills, Calif.) and 14 kills from both Jackson and Whitermore propelled the Saints to a thrilling 3-2 victory to take Emmanuel to the GNAC finals at top-seeded River University.

The reigning six-time GNAC champs Rivier were upset, 25-27, in the first set, but ultimately proved too much for the Saints, as Emmanuel fell 3-1.  Another 17 digs from Gurule and 13 kills from Whitermore was not enough to take down the Raiders on their home court.  Both Baxley and Jackson were named to the All-Tournament Team for their stellar efforts on the week.

Both Jackson and Whitermore landed spots on the 2014 GNAC All-Conference Team for the third-consecutive year.  Jackson was honored as a 2nd-Team All-GNAC selection, while Whitermore received a 3rd-Team nod and was named to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

- Written by Drew Jordan ('16)