#13 Rivier Surges Back Over Men’s Volleyball, 3-1

THE BASICS
Score: Emmanuel College 1, Rivier University, 3 (26-24, 17-25, 18-25, 12-25)
Records: Emmanuel Saints (3-6, 0-2 GNAC); Rivier Raiders (5-2, 1-0 GNAC)
Location: Boston, Mass. – Andy Yosinoff Court
Date: Thursday, February 13, 2020

THE LEAD: #13 Rivier University came back from a first set loss to surge by the Emmanuel College Saints in the next three sets, (26-24, 17-25, 18-25, 12-25), on Thursday evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match-up on the Andy Yosinoff Court.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The visiting Raiders came out strong in the first set, with early kills by Quinn Foglia (Remsenberg, N.Y.), 11-6, but the Saints were able to close the gap with a strong presence at the net by Justyn Schueler (Trumbull, Conn.) and Seamus McDonagh (Long Beach, N.Y.), 20-17. The momentum continued for EC with a service rally by McDonagh and an exclamation of a block by Schueler and Josh McDonald (Smithtown, N.Y.) to take the first set, 26-24.
• With an error-filled first set by the Raiders, the visitors changed their trend and pushed a quick seven-point lead with kills by Kristjan Cortez (Fremont, Calif.) and Francis Kokoros (Braintree, Mass.), 12-5. EC battles to stay within that margin with a strong showing by Mike Kokoros (Braintree, Mass.), but the Raiders were able to close out the set thanks to aggressive serving by David Smith (Clinton, Ohio), 25-17.
• The third set was almost a parallel of the second as Rivier took a quick lead, 15-8, with kills by Kokoros and Eric Roderick (Salem, N.H.). Despite a mid-set rally by EC, highlighted by an assisted block by McDonagh and McDonald, Rivier stretched the set to go up 2-1 with a final of 25-18.
• The fourth and final set was all Rivier, going up 7-0 before Gary Randall (Essex Junction, V.T) stopped the rally with a kill. Blocks by Smith, Kokoros and Foglia through out the set allowed only 12 points for the Saints, dropping the final set 25-12.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Rivier's Kokoros led the evening with a game-high 14 kills, two assists, one service ace and a dig. Roderick held the pace of the Raiders with a game-high 43 assists.
• EC's Kokoros and Schueler both recorded eight kills, along with a combined six digs and four blocks.

UP NEXT

• EC heads to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a non-conference trimatch against MIT and Eastern Nazarene College on Saturday, February 15th.
• The Raiders will be competing in a GNAC trimatch on Saturday at Lasell College against the Lasers and Regis College.