SAINTS SWEEP FALCONS IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Emmanuel College closed out the regular season with a 3-0 sweep of Albertus Magnus College in men's volleyball action on Saturday afternoon.  The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match featured set scores of 25-18, 25-15, 25-12, as the Saints finished the regular season at 17-13 overall and 12-2 in league play. With the loss, Albertus drops to 8-16 on the year and 0-14 in league play.

The first set included four ties and two lead changes as Emmanuel opened the match with a 5-2 lead before Albertus tied the score at seven. Emmanuel pushed its lead back up to 15-10 before the Falcons battled to within one at 18-17 on a kill from Glenn Johnson (Newington, Conn.). Three consecutive Albertus errors ended the set as Emmanuel took a 25-18 victory.

Emmanuel opened the second set with a 7-1 run, before extending its lead to 14-3.  With the score 18-5 after three-straight service aces from Nick Updike, Albertus called for a timeout. A kill by Sean Baxley (Saint James, N.Y.) gave the Saints a 21-9 lead before the Falcons got into double digits on an Emmanuel hitting error. Despite a 5-2 run late in the frame, the Falcons fell to the Saints 25-15.

The third set featured much of the same, as Emmanuel jumped out to a 6-1 lead thanks to four-straight points served by Palmer.  The Saints cruised to the 25-12 set victory to secure the match win.

Emmanuel was led by both Drew Jordan (Braintree, Mass.) and Austin Cockerill (Darien, Conn.) with 11 kills apiece, while Baxley dished out 34 assists.   Freshman Barrett Wingard (Dallastown, Pa.) led the Saints defensively with 8 digs in the win.  As a team, the Saints swung at a clip of .382 for the match.

Albertus was led by Johnson with nine kills and Carlos Torres (Adjuntas, Puerto Rico) with eight kills. Freshman Dennis Waibel (Bethlehem, Conn.) dished out 20 assists in the match, while Torres added a match-high 11 digs.

Albertus will conclude the 2013 regular season with a tri-match on Sunday, April 7 at Sarah Lawrence.  The Falcons will take on Sarah Lawrence at 11:00 a.m. before facing Medgar Evers at 1:00 p.m.

The Saints have now clinched the No. 2 seed for the upcoming GNAC Tournament and have earned a bye in the opening round.  Emmanuel will play host to the winner of the No. 3 Wentworth/No. 6 Emerson match on Thursday night, April 11, in the GNAC Semifinals.  Match time is set for 7:00 PM in the Jean Yawkey Center.

- Release courtesy of Albertus Magnus College Sports Information