Saints Finish Fenway Classic With Win Over #13 New Paltz, Loss to Endicott

BOSTON – On the second and final day of the Inaugural Fenway Classic, hosted by Wentworth and Emmanuel, Saints Men's Volleyball split their matches against #13 New Paltz State and Endicott. In the first match, Emmanuel grabbed their second victory of the season with a 3-1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23) victory over the New Paltz State Hawks. The Endicott College Gulls earned their third win of the season with a 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-23) win over the Saints in the final match of the weekend.

Saints Defeat #13 New Paltz to Begin Day Two of Fenway Classic

New Paltz started off the first set by winning the first three points, but Emmanuel quickly responded by winning the next three themselves. Locked at 13-13, the Hawks went on to win six of the next eight points and open up a 19-15 advantage. The Saints once again responded, knotting the set again 22-22. The two sides tied once again at 23-23 and 24-24 before a Louis Da Silva (Marseille, France) kill and a block from Trey Guest (Newington, Conn.) and Aiden McGowen (Marston Mills, Mass.) secured a 26-24 first set victory for Emmanuel.

The Saints built an early 6-1 lead in the second set and maintained that lead for over half of the set. A strong 5-1 New Paltz run midway through leveled the score at 17. Overall, the Hawks won 13 of the last 20 points of the second set. A Mike Handell (Wantagh, N.Y.) kill secured a 25-23 second set win to level the match at 1-1.

Much like the beginning of the second set, Emmanuel got off to a strong start in the third set with a 5-1 advantage early on. New Paltz battled back, leveling the set at 17-17 and taking a 19-17 lead as part of an 8-1 run. The Saints regrouped, winning eight of the final 11 points on the way to a 25-22 victory that gave the home side a 2-1 lead advantage in the match.

In the early moments of the fourth set, both sides traded points with ties at 2-2, 4-4, 5-5, and 7-7. New Paltz went on to win eight of the next 10 points in an explosive run that gave the visitors a 15-9 lead. A strong effort from the Saints to claw their way back into the set saw the score all knotted up at 23-23. After a New Paltz timeout, a kill from Michael Shelley (San Francisco, Calif.) and an error from the Hawks gave the Saints a 25-23 win and a 3-1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23) match victory in first match of the day on Andy Yosinoff Court.

Michael Shelley was the match leader in kills with a career-high of 22. Dominic DeFerrari (Miami, Fla.) added 33 assists and Nick Sciabica (Floral Park, N.Y.) led the Saints with 13 digs. For the Hawks, Pat Wing (Massapequa, N.Y.) led the way with 20 kills. Daniel Shanley (Smithtown, N.Y.) added 33 assists and Christopher Larkin (Westfield, N.J.) contributed 12 digs in the loss.

Endicott Sweeps Emmanuel in Final Match of Fenway Classic

In the third match of the day on Andy Yosinoff Court, Emmanuel built up a 14-11 lead over Endicott midway through the first set. The Gulls responded with a 5-0 run that extended to 8-2 and captured a 19-16 advantage. The Saints were able to level the match at 21-21 thanks to a Trey Guest block, but the visitors won four of the final five points to take a 1-0 lead with a 25-22 first set victory.

After falling behind 2-0 to start the second set, the Gulls erupted on a 7-1 run to take a 7-3 lead. Until late in the set, Endicott maintained their advantage, but Emmanuel exploded for a late run of their own to tie the second set at 24. After another tie at 25-25, the visitors won the final two points that included a huge kill from Dean Warner (Kinderhook, N.Y.) and led to a 27-25 second set win and a 2-0 match lead.

The Gulls and Saints traded points in the early parts of the third set, but a 6-1 run by Endicott midway through built a 14-8 lead for the visitors. Endicott went on to control the remainder of the set and never surrendered their lead. A serving error from the Saints locked in a 25-23 third set victory and a 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-23) win for the Gulls to take back to Beverly, Mass.

Warner led the Gulls with 13 kills followed by Jake Laborde (Brookline, N.H.) who added 12. Gavin Emenaker (Newton, Mass.) was the match leader in assists with 30. For the Saints, Michael Shelley had a team-leading 21 kills. Dominic DeFerrari finished with 27 assists in the loss.

Up Next:

New Paltz returns to action on the road for the Kean University Tournament on February 2^nd and 3^rd. Endicott will head home to Beverly for a matchup with Emerson on Tuesday, January 30^th. Emmanuel will travel to Brooklyn College for a 6:00 P.M. matchup on February 2^nd.