MEN'S VOLLEYBALL EXTENDS WIN-STREAK TO SEVEN; TOPS REGIS & COLBY-SAWYER

THE BASICS

Score: Regis College, 0; Emmanuel College, 3 (25-12, 25-21, 25-16)
Score: Colby-Sawyer College, 0; Emmanuel College, 3 (25-11, 25-14, 25-18)

Records: Emmanuel College (17-9, 6-2); Regis College (8-11, 2-7 GNAC); Colby-Sawyer College (7-10, 0-8 GNAC)

Location: Boston, Mass- Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Saturday, March 23, 2019

THE LEAD:  The Emmanuel College men's volleyball team cruised to a pair of 3-0 victories over Regis College and Colby-Sawyer College on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action on the Andy Yosinoff Court.

MATCH 1 vs. REGIS
Set 1

• The squads traded points early to a 6-5 score (EMM) before the Saints put together a 10-2 run behind the service game of junior setter Seamus McDonagh (Long Beach, N.Y.) and senior Erik English (Simi Valley, Calif.) to take control of the set with a 16-7 lead.
• Following a Regis kill by sophomore outside hitter Inelson Alves (Brockton, Mass.) to cut the score to 20-12, the Saints scored the last five points of the frame to cruise to a 25-12 win.

Set 2

• The Pride led early in the frame, building a 9-7 advantage before the hosts responded with a four quick points to go up 11-9 midway through the action.
• The set saw ties at 11-11, 14-14, 18-18 and 21-21 before Emmanuel scored the final four points of the set capped by a pair of Regis errors to seal a 25-21 win to take a 2-0 lead on the match.

Set 3

• Regis got off to another quick start in the third set, taking a 7-6 lead in the early going before three straight points on kills from English and junior middle hitter Justyn Schueler (Trumbull, Conn.) gave EC the lead for good at 9-7.
• Leading 20-16, the Saints scored the final five points of the final set to take a 25-16 win and secure the 3-0 sweep.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Schueler finished the opening match with 11 kills while English chipped in with 10 winners.
• Regis freshman outside hitter Matt Ferrara (Haverhill, Mass.) led all players with 12 kills.
• McDonagh dished out 34 assists in the victory marking his fourth straight match with 30 or more helpers.

MATCH 2 vs. COLBY SAWYER
Set 1

• English helped Emmanuel race out to a 10-0 lead to open the match, rattling off five aces during the stretch.
• The Saints used eight total aces in the frame to pick up the 25-11 win in the opening set.

Set 2

• Emmanuel opened the second stanza strong to build a 9-3 lead, a big enough cushion to spread the offense around the remainder of the frame.
• The Saints combined to hit .286 as a team in the set while holding the Chargers to a negative hitting percentage for the second consecutive frame en route to the 25-14 win.

Set 3

• The Chargers took a quick 3-1 lead behind an ace from junior outside hitter Zach Allen (Candia, N.H.) and stayed on top until a kill by English lifted the hosts up, 8-7.
• Emmanuel never relinquished the lead, holding on for the 25-18 win to seal the 3-0 sweep.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• English ended the match with seven aces and now has 73 on the year to lead the nation among D-III Men's Volleyball players. He added a match-high 10 kills and 10 digs in the win.
• Freshman right side Eric Miller (La Grange, Ill.) paced the Chargers with a team-high six kills.
• The win marks the seventh consecutive victory for EC, the program's longest streak since an eight-game stretch back in 2012.

UP NEXT:

• Emmanuel is idle until Thursday, March 28 when they host Johnson & Wales University at 7:00 PM.
• Colby Sawyer returns to the court on Tuesday, March 26 playing host to Rivier University at 7:00 PM in GNAC action.
• Regis is off until next Saturday, March 30 for a GNAC tri-match where they'll host Rivier and Johnson & Wales starting at 10:00 AM.