SAINTS STAGE DRAMATIC COMEBACK, DEFEAT RIVIER IN FIVE

BOSTON, Mass. - For the first time since 2010, the Emmanuel College men's volleyball team defeated Rivier University, doing so by winning the final three sets of a thrilling five-set match at the Emmanuel College Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

The 3-2 (17-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 17-15) win boosts the Saints to 16-10 overall and 6-5 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, while the Raiders slip to 17-10 and 7-4 in the conference.

The Raiders looked to be in control in the early stages of the match, jumping out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set. After the Saints pulled things back even at 8-8, Rivier scored eight of the next 10 points and eventually cruised to a 25-17 first set victory.

Both teams had a few runs in the second set, but neither was able to gain any breathing room as there was only one lead of more than three points in the entire set.

Trailing 20-18, the Saints used a kill by senior Julian Hess (Santa Monica, Calif.) and two Rivier errors to take the lead at 21-20. However, the Raiders responded with kills from senior Mike Hadder (Yucaipa, Calif.), junior Ian Wolski (Westfield, Mass.), and a pair from sophomore Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.), to close the set on a 5-2 run and win it 25-23.

Despite having their backs against the wall, the Saints came out firing in the third set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead and extending it to 17-11 after an Andler service error. Closing out the set wasn't easy, as Rivier came back with five consecutive points to cut the hosts' lead to one.

The two sides traded the next 14 points, leaving the Saints with a match point at 24-23. Sensing an opening, senior Barrett Wingard (York, Pa.) took a setup from freshman Andres Saladrigas (Miami, Fla.) and buried it for one of his team-leading 17 kills.

After keeping the match alive with a third set win, the Saints had backing of a rowdy home crowd and used that support to dominate the fourth set.

A kill by senior Garrett McGarry (Chicago, Ill.) tied the set at 6-6 and started a 13-3 run for the Saints that effectively ended the set. The Raiders got as close as 20-12, but freshman Erik English (Simi Valley, Calif.) rattled off a pair of consecutive kills to expand the lead to 10, and classmate Kevin Orsley (San Jose, Calif.) ended the set at 25-16 with a kill of his own.

Both teams had their moments in the deciding set and the match came down to extra points after Hadder fought off match point with a kill, tying the set at 15. But, the Saints were able to regroup and earn the improbable win with another Hess kill and an attack error by Andler.

Andler and Wolski both led the match with 19 kills each, while Andler also added eight digs in the effort. Junior Tyler Blank (Rochester, N.Y.) picked up 57 assists on the day and senior Nick Ochoa (Whittier, Calif.) and senior Mike Hovnanian (Methuen, Mass.) both hit double-digits in digs with 12 and 10, respectively.

Wingard's 17 kills run his season total to 340, which is good enough for fifth in the nation amongst all Division III competitors. English chipped in with 12 kills and 10 digs, while hitting .400 in the win. Saladrigas and junior Jorge Rojas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) split setting duties, earning 23 and 25 assists, respectively. Hess also filled out the scoresheet, picking up nine kills, two aces, an assist, and seven block assists, along with a .438 hitting percentage.

The Saints return to action with a 6:00 p.m. road match at Mount Ida on Thursday, Mar. 31. On the same night, the Raiders play hosts to Emerson at 7:00 p.m. in Nashua, N.H.