Balanced Offense Lifts Men’s Volleyball to 3-0 Win vs. Dean

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel 3 – Dean 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-17)

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (11-10, 4-3 GNAC)
Dean College Bulldogs (3-10, 0-5 GNAC)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Jean Yawkey Center / Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023

THE LEAD – Finishing the night with 39 team kills and a hitting percentage of .392, the Emmanuel Saints men's volleyball team used a balanced attack to claim a straight sets victory over Dean on Tuesday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After trading the first couple of points in the opening set, the Saints took control of the play with a 9-3 run, moving their advantage from three points to a solid 18-9 lead. Another five-point surge followed for the Saints, upping their lead to 23-10. Three points later, a Bulldogs attack error handed the first set to Emmanuel, 25-11.
• In the second set, it was Dean out in front in the early going, leading by as many as three at 9-6. Emmanuel steadied themselves, overtaking the Bulldogs early advantage with seven straight points to take a 13-9 lead. Dean stayed within striking distance as the set wore on, but an EC closing run of 8-1, capped by a kill for sophomore Aiden McGowan (Marston Mills, Mass.), gave the Saints a 25-14 set win, and 2-0 set lead.
• A quick four-point burst in the early stages of the third set has Emmanuel off and running with an 8-3 lead. Despite the Bulldogs efforts to stay within five of the Saints, another four-point run later in the set provided plenty of breathing room and a 21-12 lead for the Saints. After missing out on two match points, the Saints finally scored the straight sets win, thanks to a solo block by sophomore Maximilian Olsen (Barnstable, Mass.), that ended the third set, 25-17, in favor of Emmanuel.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• A dozen different Saints finished the night with at least one kill, led by first-year Michael Shelley (San Francisco, Calif.), who had a team-high six while hitting .750 from the floor.
• Sophomore Louis Da Silva (Marseille, France) added five kills on six attempts, hitting .833 on the evening.
• Olsen, senior Josh McDonald (Smithtown, N.Y.), sophomore Jyles Amirault (Andover, Mass.), and first-year Trey Guest (Newington, Conn.) all added four kills each.
• First-year Dominic DeFerrari (Miami, Fla.) finished with a career-high 20 assists.
• Bulldogs senior Tyler Martins (East Providence, R.I.) ended with a team-best six kills to go along with five digs.
• Senior Nick Carlson (Warwick, R.I.) chipped in with four kills for Dean.

UP NEXT

• The Saints return to Yosinoff Court on Thursday for more GNAC play, this time hosting Elms at 7:00 p.m.
• The Bulldogs return to Boston for their next match, another game in the GNAC and a Thursday night bout with Emerson at 7:00 p.m.