MEN'S VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO JWU AND EMERSON, 3-1

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Emmanuel College men's volleyball team suffered a pair of 3-1 setbacks Saturday in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at the Wildcat Center. The Saints fell to host Johnson & Wales University 3-1 (25-16, 18-25, 18-25, 23-35) before dropping a 3-1 (21-25, 20-25, 27-25, 22-25) decision to Emerson College. Emmanuel falls to 6-6 overall and 1-3 in GNAC play.

MATCH 1 vs. JOHNSON & WALES (5-9, 2-1 GNAC)

Emmanuel opened the day strong with a 25-16 win in the opening set against the host Wildcats but it was all downhill from there as EC dropped the next three sets to fall in the match, 3-1.

GNAC Offensive Player of the Week Barrett Wingard (York, Pa.) paced Emmanuel with a match-high 15 kill outing. Rookie Erik English (Simi Valley, Calif.) was also in double-figures with 11 kills. Senior libero Kevin Gallegos (Los Angeles, Calif.) posted a career-high 18 digs while junior setter Jorge Rojas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 34 helpers.

JWU junior opposite Brendan Baker (Providence, R.I.) led the Wildcats with 11 kills, eight digs and five blocks.

STAT OF THE MATCH

Johnson & Wales recorded 31 total blocks, dominating the Saints at the net compared to EC's nine total blocks.

MATCH 2 vs. EMERSON (5-6, 1-2 GNAC)

Despite a match-high 19 kills from Wingard, the Saints were unable to overcome 25 hitting and 11 service errors against cross town rival Emerson College in a 3-1 setback.

The Lions jumped out taking the first two sets before Emmanuel forced a fourth set with a 27-25 win in set three, but the Saints were not able to force a fifth set as Emerson sealed the win with a 25-22 win in set four.

Emerson hit .289 from the floor compared to Emmanuel's dismal .195 clip. English stayed hot with 14 kills and seven digs for the Saints. Rojas also played well registering 44 assists and a team-high 11 digs.

For Emerson, senior outside hitter Jackson Wiley (Los Angeles, Calif.) notched 15 kills and seven digs. Freshman outside Mark Piorkowski (Monclair, N.J.) chipped in with 13 kills while sophomore outside Mark Rusk (For Lauderdale, Fla.) added 11 kills. Senior setter Brendan McGonigle (Los Angeles, Calif.) dished out 46 assists to go along with a match-high 12 digs.

STAT OF THE MATCH

Emerson sophomore middle Stig Regan (Kailua, Hawaii) recorded seven kills on nine attempts for a .778 hitting clip.

NEXT UP

Emmanuel returns to action on Monday, February 22 when they hit the road to take on Newbury College at 7:00 PM.