SAINTS CLINCH POSTSEASON BERTH WITH TRI-MATCH SWEEP

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Women's Volleyball team clinched its ninth straight postseason berth on Saturday afternoon after sweeping both Suffolk and Albertus Magnus in a tri-match at Suffolk. The Saints improved to 9-14 overall and 7-2 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with the pair of wins. At 7-2, Emmanuel currently sits in fourth place in the GNAC, but the final seeding will not be determined until the final weekend of the regular season. 

Cassie Chruscielski tallied 17 kills in the two matches to lead the way for the Saints, who hit .309 vs. Suffolk but only .089 against Albertus Magnus. 

Facing off with Suffolk in the opening match, the Saints easily handled the Rams in the first frame, 25-7. The second set was a different story with Suffolk jumping out to a 6-3 edge that stretched to a 14-10. The Saints called for a break, but the timeout did not stop the Rams' momentum as the host went ahead 17-12. Suffolk could not hold onto the lead, however, as Emmanuel put together a 6-1 stretch to the level the stanza at 18-all. From there it was a back-and-forth affair with the Saints prevailing, 26-24. The score tied six times over the final set with the lead changing on four occasions. In the end, Emmanuel sealed its straight set victory, 25-18.

Senior captains Shannon Dudley (Morro Bay, Calif.) and Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.) helped the Saints to the day's first victory as Dudley dished 33 assists and Tutalo had seven kills and hit .583 in the winning effort.

Dudley's 33 assists plus 11 more in the Saints' second matchup of the day were good enough to move her into third place all-time at Emmanuel with 2,257 career assists.

The second match of the afternoon, against Albertus Magnus, was a defensive struggle, as the teams combined for only 47 kills. Emmanuel's .089 was enough to win in straight sets because the Falcons hit a dismal .010. with four players in the negative. Tutalo and Chruscielski each had five kills and junior Sarah Schemerhorn picked up 18 digs.

The Saints will host the Bluejays of St. Joseph's University (Conn.) on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be a part of the Dig Pink celebration hosted by the Women's Volleyball team and all fans are encouraged to wear pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness, as the players on both teams will be doing during the match.