SAINTS STOPPED BY RIVIER IN MEN’S VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS

NASHUA, N.H. – No. 4-seeded Emmanuel College fell to top-seeded Rivier University, 3-0, in the semifinal round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament on Thursday night in Rivier's Muldoon Center.  With the win, the Raiders improve to 19-8 overall and advance to host Lasell College in the GNAC Championship on Saturday.  The visiting Saints end their season at 11-12 overall.

Over the seven year history of the GNAC Men's Volleyball Tournament, the Saints, who always find themselves in contention for the title, have battled with the Raiders in the conference final six times. Thursday night's match marked the first time, EC faced Riv in the GNAC semifinal round.  The Raiders prevailed once again and will now look to capture another conference title this weekend.

Rivier opened up this match with a 25-16 set victory. The Raiders were led by senior Chris Markuson (Cupertino, Calif.) and the hosts used the crowd support to their advantage, as Rivier took the game directly to the Saints and refused to back down. Ultimately, the efforts were rewarded with a nine point set victory.

The second set was more closely matched. The Saints, led by Ashanti Jackson (Sacramento, Calif.) refused to be handled easily. The Saints, with some impressive offensive strikes, were able to test the hosts, forcing the set to go down to the wire, at 25-22.

The third set was a nail-biter throughout. A win in the third for the Saints would extend the match to a fourth set and keep the EC championship dream alive. Tied at 26, the two teams battled it out until the very last whistle. Rivier was able to take the lead when Matt Tutino (Manorville, N.Y.) buried a powerful kill off of an excellent feed from Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.).  Jackson (Sacramento, Calif.) then slammed home a kill of his own to re-tie the game at 27. Rivier was able to re-take the lead when Chris Markuson (Cupertino, Calif.) drove home one of his signature power kills. Up 28-27, Rivier needed just one more point to secure their spot in the Championship. Off of a great feed by Chris Markuson (Cupertino, Calif,) Sam Kazlas (Allentown, Pa.) lifted the Raiders to victory by planting the final kill between two Saints defenders.

Markuson's 18 kills led the Raiders' offense. Matt Tutino (Manorville, N.Y.) notched 11 kills, while teammates Cam Phegley-Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Sam Kazlas (Allentown, Pa.) combined for an additional 17 kills. Tyler Blank (Rochester, N.Y.) dished out 51 assists, while Nick Ochoa (Whittier, Calif.) had a team-high 7 digs.

Jackson and Barrett Wingard (York, Pa.) slammed down 15 kills apiece for the Saints.  Jackson entered the semifinal match needing just nine kills to reach the highly coveted 1,000-kill mark.  The senior captain easily surpassed the mark on Thursday night and will now graduate with a collegiate career total of 1,006 kills, to finish his impressive career fifth among the Saints' all-time leaders.

Senior Austin Cockerill (Darien, Conn.) added seven kills on the night.  Senior setter Sean Baxley (Saint James, N.Y.) dished out 43 assists, while libero Kevin Gallegos (Los Angeles, Calif.) totaled a team-high seven digs in the effort for the Saints.

* Release Courtesy of Rivier University Sports Information