SAINTS FALL TO 14th RANKED RAIDERS
Feb. 7, 2008
Boston, MA - The Emmanuel Men's Volleyball Team suffered its fourth loss of the season on Thursday night in a non-conference match-up with Rivier College. The visiting Raiders came into the match ranked 14th in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll. Emmanuel kept things close in the first game, but fell to the Raiders, 31-29. Rivier went on to take the next two sets, 30-24 and 30-24, to complete the three-game sweep of the Saints.
In the six-year history of the Emmanuel Men's Volleyball program, the Raiders have been the Saints' nemesis, as Emmanuel has yet to defeat Rivier in eleven meetings between the two clubs. With this loss, the Saints are now even at 4-4 on the season, but remain 2-0 in North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) play.
The Saints were once again led by sophomore outside hitter Michael Townsend (Beaverdam, VA), who notched 13 kills, hitting .344 for the night. Freshman outside hitter Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, CA) tallied 11 kills, while sophomore setter Taylor Lowe (Malibu, CA) dished out 37 assists. Sophomore libero Gregg MacDonald (Wilbraham, MA) recorded a team-high 6 digs, while senior opposite Brendan Ellis (Chelmsford, MA) served up two aces in the effort.
Emmanuel will play again this weekend in the MIT Invitational Tournament. The Saints' matches will begin on Saturday (2/9) in Cambridge, MA.