SAINTS STUN 12th-RANKED NIGHTHAWKS
March 17, 2009
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Men's Volleyball Team upset the 12th-ranked Nighthawks of Newbury College in a St. Patrick's Day thriller, which featured the Saints pulling off a three-set sweep over the national powerhouse squad from Newbury. Emmanuel stormed out to a 30-25 win in the opener and then squeaked past the visitors in sets two and three, 33-31 and 32-30. This win for the Saints tied the program-record for wins in a season, as Emmanuel improved to 15-9 overall. The loss dropped the Nighthawks to 17-10 on the season.
Newbury was ranked 12th in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll. The Nighthawks were coming off a 33-10 campaign in 2008, which included a trip to the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) finals, as well as an ECAC Championship. Newbury entered tonight's match at 17-9 overall and 4-3 in NECVA play. Emmanuel was coming off four wins and a championship at the MIT Invitational Tournament last weekend. Tonight's win over Newbury extended the Saints' current win streak to six matches.
Junior captain Michael Townsend (Beaverdam, Va.) paced Emmanuel with 14 kills, 6 digs, and a match-high 6 service aces. Sophomore outside hitter Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) also tallied 14 kills, to go along with his 7 digs and 2 blocks. Junior setter Taylor Lowe (Malibu, Calif.) notched 39 assists and gathered 7 digs. Sophomores Cameron Todd (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Keoni Rabaino (Tucson, Ariz.) combined for 11 kills. Rabaino and classmate Matt Salvi (Trumbull, Conn.) were also huge on defense as the two combined for 10 blocks for the Saints. Sophomore libero Jacob DeLuise (Wakefield, R.I.) chipped in with a team-high 9 digs in the win.
Emmanuel, now 15-9, will play at MIT on Thursday (3/19) in a 7pm start. The Saints will then host Johnson & Wales University and SUNY New Paltz in a tri-match on Saturday (3/21) beginning at 12pm.