MEN’S VOLLEYBALL SPLITS IN GNAC TRI-MATCH

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Emmanuel College defeated the Albertus Magnus College, 3-1, and dropped a three-setter to Rivier University on Sunday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's volleyball action.  With the split, the Saints now stand at 11-9 on the season and 6-3 in conference play.

In Emmanuel's win over Albertus Magnus, the Saints hit .310 with 51 kills in over 100 attempts, while Albertus hit .171 with 51 kills as well.  Emmanuel won the first set 25-21, as Zach Whitermore led the team with four kills in five tries.  Brendan Charamut (Southington, Conn.), Joshua Turner (Trumbull, Conn.) and Glenn Johnson (Newington, Conn.) led Albertus with three kills apiece.

In the second set, Albertus led 18-13 then pushed out to a 20-15 lead.  Emmanuel climbed back into the set to cut Albertus' lead to 22-20.  With the score 24-22, Justin Tharau (Burlington, Conn.) had a perfectly timed kill to secure the set victory over the Saints.  Charamut led the Falcons with five kills in seven attempts in the frame.

Emmanuel controlled tempo in the third set and took home a dominating 25-14 win. Rojas led the Falcons with six kills in the set loss.

Again, Emmanuel ran out to an impressive lead 10-5 lead in the fourth set before the Falcons bounced back to tie the set at 14 on a Douglas DeSousa (Danbury, Conn.) solo block.  Play went back and forth in the set before Emmanuel extended its lead to 21-16. Emmanuel took control of the final minutes of the contest and cruised to the 25-18 victory.

The Saints were led by Whitermore with 16 kills in 27 attempts The junior captain added eight digs and five blocks. Sean Baxley dished out 44 assists to go along with three service aces and five digs.  Juniors Wyatt Cooper and Ashanti Jackson both tallied nine kills for the Saints.

Albertus' Raul Rivera Rojas (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) led the Falcons with 16 kills, while Charamut added 11 kills in 26 tries.  Johnson finished with nine kills. DeSousa handed out 42 helpers in the loss, while he had seven digs.  Charamut tallied 10 digs for the Falcons, while Raymond Torres (Cantano, Puerto Rico) led all players with 11 digs.

In Rivier's sweep of the Saints, the Raiders rolled to set wins of 25-19, 25-22 and 25-17.  Riv's offense' featured a balance attack with three players hitting in double-figures and with the squad swinging at a combined clip of .354 with 42 kills and 82 attempts.

The Saints were led by Jackson's 12 kills.  Baxley handed out 33 helpers, while sophomore libero Ernie Gurule and sophomore middle Garrett McGarry led the defense with 9 digs and 5 blocks, respectively.

Emmanuel will return to the court this week for four conference battles. The Saints will travel to Mount Ida College for a 6pm match on Tuesday night, before hosting Lasell College in a 7pm match on Thursday night.  Emmanuel will also play host to Anna Maria College and Emerson College in a GNAC tri-match, beginning at 12pm on Saturday.

- Portions of this release courtesy of Albertus Magnus College Sports Information