MEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYS No. 1 SPRINGFIELD TOUGH IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's volleyball team played at the same level as No. 1 Springfield College in a tough 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-19) defeat Sunday afternoon at the Jean Yawkey Center. With the victory, the Pride improve to 6-2 overall while the loss drops the Saints to 2-4, with all four losses now coming against opponents ranked in the AVCA's Top 15.

In the opening set, the squads traded points early and a kill by sophomore outside hitter Ashanti Jackson (Sacramento, Calif.) put EC on top, 5-4. The No. 1 Pride responded with a 5-0 run to take a 9-5 advantage and force the hosts to spend a timeout.  A kill by senior right side hitter Alistair Matthews (Freehold, N.J.) extended Springfield's lead to 15-9 before the Saints would go on an 8-2 spurt to even the match at 17-17 following a kill by sophomore opposite Austin Cockerill (Darien, Conn.). EC was unable to get over the hump as the Pride showed why they are No. 1 in the nation, rattling off six consecutive points capped by an ace from Matthews to take a 23-17 lead en route to a 25-18 first set victory.

The second frame was reminiscent of the first as Emmanuel jumped out to a 6-4 lead early on following a kill from sophomore opposite Ryan Kessler (Santa Clarita, Calif.). With the score deadlocked at 8-all, the Pride would rattle off three quick points to pull ahead 11-8 and never looked back in the set. A service error by Springfield would make it a two-point margin in the action (15-13) but Emmanuel was unable to get any closer as the No. 1 Pride pushed ahead for another 25-18 win in the second set. As a team, the Pride hit .450 on the set including a perfect 1.000 combined hitting percentage (5-0-5) between the middle hitter combo of senior Greg Falcone (Lindenhurt, N.Y.) and junior Jimmy O'Leary (Reading, Pa.).

In the final set, the Saints hung tough with the Pride before eventually giving way for the No. 1 team in the nation. With the score knotted at 11-11, a kill from O'Leary put Springfield ahead for good en route to the sixth win on the year.

The 55 points the Pride allowed to the Saints was the second highest total they've surrendered all season in New England action against a Division III opponent as they allowed 56 points in a 3-0 win over No. 4 Juniata.

Senior outside hitter Mike Pelletier (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) led the way for Springfield with 10 kills and a .529 hitting percentage while Falcon added seven kills and a gaudy .750 hitting clip. Senior setter Mike Becker (Lancaster, Pa.) dished out a game-high 27 helpers while junior libero Nick Ferry (Valencia, Calif.) recorded a team-high eight digs.

For the Saints, Jackson finished with 10 kills while senior setter Nick Updike registered 24 assists.

Emmanuel will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 13 when they host Emerson College at 8:00 PM in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match up while the No. 1 Pride hit the court on Friday, Feb. 15 against Juniata at 7:00 PM in Huntingdon, Pa. in the Juniata Invitational.