SAINTS SHARE THE WEALTH IN TRI-MATCH SWEEP

BOSTON, Mass.- The Emmanuel College Women's Volleyball team swept a Great Northeast Athletic Conference tri-match at the Emmanuel College Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. The Saints defeated Anna Maria College, 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-20), and Lasell College, 3-1 (25-13, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22), to improve to 6-11 overall and 4-0 in GNAC play. The Amcats upended the Lasers, 3-1, in the middle match of the day (25-20, 25-18, 15-25, 25-12).

Both teams in the 10:00 a.m. match got off to slow starts, essentially trading points until reaching a stalemate at 8-8. At that point, the Saints made their first run, taking a 14-9 lead, only to see Anna Maria battle back to cut the deficit to one at 16-15. Senior captain Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.) was able to grab momentum back, as she earned four kills and a block assist in a span of 11 points to lead the Saints to a 25-17 win in set one. 

Emmanuel was much more consistent in the second set, jumping out to a 7-2 advantage, and evenutally stretching the lead to 23-11 after a six-point run. Tutalo, Starr Ripley, and Mary Shelow combined for nine kills in the set and the Saints closed it out on an attack error by Anna Maria, taking the set 25-12.

Anna Maria showed determination in the third set, leading 10-9 at one point and forcing a 16-16 tie after consecutive kills by Amari King and Brianna LaRegina. The Saints, however, found an answer in the form of freshman Angelica Czercowy, who produced four kills in a run of nine points, and won the set 25-20, and the match 3-0.

After a two-hour layoff, the Saints came back fresh against Lasell in match two of the afternoon, leaping to a quick 8-2 edge. A combination of Emmanuel kills and Lasell errors allowed the lead to grow to 22-10 before the Lasers used one of their timeouts. Odina Ellis came out of the timeout with a kill for the visitors, but two errors and a kill by Kaitlyn Atkinson ended the set, 25-13 in favor of the Saints.

The hosts came out a bit sloppy in the second set, allowing Lasell to take a 9-5 edge. The Saints, however, would tie the set at 10-10, 14-14, and 15-15, before Tutalo added back-to-back kills and forced Lasell to use another timeout. Emmanuel would not look back from there, as Tutalo and Atkinson each came up with an additional kill and the set ended at 25-22.

The third set provided the best action of the day for the fans that had made their way to the Jean Yawkey Center on Columbus Day Weekend. Lasell opened up a 6-2 lead, and Emmanuel responded by chipping away until the teams eventually reached another 16-16 deadlock. Both sides traded points to get to 18 all, and then a Taylor Hansen service ace gave the Lasers a 19-18 lead that they would not relinquish. Lasell took the set 25-23, marking the first time this season that EC has lost a set in GNAC play.

The fourth set turned out to be a thrilling set as well, as teams traded large offensive runs throughout.  Emmanuel, backed once again by Tutalo, Ripley, and junior Libero Sarah Schemerhorn (Los Angeles, Calif.) took an 8-2 lead in the early going. Lasell fought back and took the lead at 10-9 after two service aces by Olivia Addington.

The Tutalo-Ripley combination was too much for the Lasers too handle, as the two provided eight kills in the fourth set alone and pushed the Saints to their fourth GNAC victory in as many chances. Overall in the two matches, Tutalo tallied 21 kills, two aces, and six total blocks, while hitting .588 against Anna Maria. Ripley chipped in with 14 kills and hit .714 vs. Anna Maria and .600 against Lasell. 

Schemerhorn was remarkable defensively for the Saints, picking up 37 digs on the afternoon, including two that sent her flying into the bench and stands. Senior captain Shannon Dudley (Morro Bay, Calif.) continued to show her importance on the court, dishing out 73 assists in the two matches. 

Shelow tallied 16 kills between the two matches, along with five aces and 20 digs. Atkinson also added 13 kills in the victory over Lasell. The first victory of the day for the Saints was career win 150 for head coach Denitra Seals.

Next up for the Saints is a home contest against the Wheaton College Lyons on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7:00 p.m. Anna Maria heads to Johnson & Wales for a 7:00 p.m. match on Wednesday, Oct. 14 and the Lasers host Saint Joseph's (Me.) on Monday, Oct. 12 at 2:00 p.m. for a Columbus Day matinee.