Men’s Volleyball Splits Tri-Match, Clinches No. 4 Seed in Postseason

THE BASICS 

Scores: 
Match 1: Emmanuel 3 – Emerson 1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-16, 28-26)
Match 2: Rivier 3 – Emmanuel 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-14)

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (19-13, 10-6 GNAC)
Emerson College Lions (12-14, 8-8 GNAC)
Rivier University Raiders (19-10, 13-3 GNAC)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Brown & Plofker Gymnasium

Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023

THE LEAD – Despite a split of Saturday's tri-match, the Emmanuel Saints men's volleyball team clinched home court in the quarterfinal round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Playoffs. Thanks to a 3-1 win over Emerson in the morning match, the Saints will host a playoff game in the Jean Yawkey Center for the first time since 2019.

HOW IT HAPPENED (MATCH 1)

• The opening set of the match was evenly contested through the majority of play, until the final points of the set led Emerson to victory. The first set was tied 18-18 until Lions junior Luke Roehm (Westport, Conn.) stepped to the service line and led Emerson on a set-ending run. A combination of Saints errors, Lions kills, and two aces by Roehm sent Emerson on a 7-0 run, ending the first set at 25-18.
• In the second set, the Saints sprinted out to a quick lead and looked as though they would easily tie the match at one set each. But an Emerson run of 9-1 brought them from seven points down to a one-point lead at 15-14. After trading the next couple of points, the Saints claimed the set with seven of the last 10 points, capped off by a kill for sophomore Jyles Amirault (Andover, Mass.), giving Emmanuel the 25-20 set win.
• Tied 11-11 in the third set, the Saints would strike with significant scoring runs of 6-0 and 5-0, all part of a 14-5 total run that decided the third set. Senior Josh McDonald (Smithtown, N.Y.) provided the set-clinching kill, giving Emmanuel a 2-1 sets lead, following a 25-16 set win.
• The fourth and final set needed extra points to determine the winner, with Emmanuel breaking through to claim the victory, lifting them to the No. 4 seed in the GNAC postseason. The Saints defended two set points for the Lions that could have sent the match to a fifth set, and after a kill by first-year Trey Guest (Newington, Conn.) and an attack error by Roehm, Emmanuel captured the 28-26 set win and 3-1 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (MATCH 1)

• Amirault, McDonald, and Guest all reached double-digit kills in the win. Amirault led the way with 15, while McDonald had 11 and Guest had 10.
• First-year Nick Sciabica (Floral Park, N.Y.) finished with a career-high 22 digs to go along with three assists.
• Senior Roman Fabrizio (Salem, N.H.) added 41 assists and three service aces in the win.
• Roehm finished with 14 kills and 13 digs, both team-highs for Emerson.
• Junior Neiko Pittman (Santa Clarita, Calif.) added 13 kills while sophomore Jack Miessner (Phoenix, Ariz.) ended the match with 11 kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED (MATCH 2)

• The opening set started as a back-and-forth battle for momentum before a 5-0 scoring run for the Raiders opened up an advantage that kept the Saints at a distance. Another run for Rivier, later in the set, extended the lead to as many as eight, and a kill for junior Isaac Borges (New Boston, N.H.) finished off the set, 25-17.
• In the second set, Rivier was off and running early, opening up a quick seven-point lead at 14-7. The Saints fought back valiantly, cutting the deficit to three on multiple occasions, but the Raiders stopped any chance of a comeback after finishing the set on a 7-1 spurt, claiming the set win, 25-16.
• In the final set, Rivier used an early 7-0 run and a late 6-0 run to keep Emmanuel away from moving the match to a fourth set. A Saints service error, followed by an attack error, provided a straight sets win for the Raiders, as they won the third set, 25-14.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (MATCH 2)

• Graduate Jack Normandin (Clifton Park, N.Y.) finished with a match-high 12 kills, hitting .259 from the floor.
• Borges added seven kills on 11 attempts for an efficient hitting percentage of .636.
• Saints sophomores Thor Yingling (Truro, Mass.) and Leonard Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) led the team with five kills each.
• First-year Dominic DeFerrari (Miami, Fla.) finished with team-highs of 13 assists and six digs.

UP NEXT

• The Saints and Lions will meet again for the third time this season on Tuesday, April 11, at 7:00 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the GNAC Playoffs. Emmanuel and Emerson split their regular season meetings with the road team being victorious in each of the prior two matches.