March 1, 2011

Box Score

The twelfth ranked Emmanuel College men's volleyball team battled through a tough match with No. 9 Rivier College, but ultimately emerged victorious with a fiercely fought, 3-2 win. The Saints improved to 20-4 on the year while the Raiders dropped to 23-7, while the two teams have split the season series at one win apiece.

The two squads opened play with back and forth scoring, with Rivier taking a slight early edge, 6-4. Emmanuel senior Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) tallied a powerful kill right down the middle to help set the score at 8-8 and, after another back-and-forth display, senior Tyson Rietz (Granite Bay, Calif.) blasted home a kill for the Saints to give the Emmanuel a 13-11 lead.

Senior Cam Todd (Los Angeles, Calif.) helped the Saints while in serve, giving his team a 17-14 boost, but the Raiders stormed back to tie the contest at 18-18. Sophomore Alex McKeen (Stoughton, Mass.) added to the Saints' edge with an ace that clipped the net and fell in for a 23-20 lead for Emmanuel. Riding the wave from the crowd's enthusiasm, the Saints managed to find two more points and take the first set, 25-21.

Sophomore Nick Updike helped give the hosts a quick boost in the second frame, tallying a quick ace for Emmanuel that gave the team a 6-3 lead over the Raiders. Rivier senior Jared Andreozzi (Barrington, R.I.) strived to pull his squad back into the match with a cross-court winner and junior Alex Xenidis (Shelton, Conn.) followed that with a block that helped the Raiders tie the score at 7-7. Not long after, sophomore Steve Visentin (Cheshire, Conn.) and freshman Aaron Almario (Alhambra, Calif.) combined for a near-sided block to give the guests a 13-10.

The Saints refused to quit in the second set and worked to come back and tie the score at 17-17. However, the visitors took advantage of some Emmanuel miscues and grabbed a 23-19 lead before Head Coach Adam Martel took his second team timeout of the frame. Following their coach's advice, the Saints clawed back for a few points but could not hold on as the Raiders took the second set, 25-23.

Rietz started on serve for the Saints and helped give his teammates a 7-1 lead before Rivier called its first timeout of the set. Emmanuel came out of the break firing left and right, with Updike adding a kill to give the Saints a 10-4 lead. The squads continued to trade points, with Andreozzi adding a strong block at the net for Rivier to help the visitors pull back and only trail, 15-13.

Senior Matt Salvi (Trumbull, Conn.) gave Emmanuel a 20-18 lead and the Saints grabbed another few points off Rivier errors to hold a 23-20 lead. Needing only one more point to take the set, Rietz went cross-court to take the 25-22 win.

Looking to regain some footing in the game, the Raiders opened the fourth set with a 6-2 run. However, a fierce combined block by Salvi and senior Thomas McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.) tied the score at 8-8. Updike added a quick kill for the home team before Rivier could react to his shot and McCaffrey capitalized off a missed block to help the Saints take the lead, 13-11. Not willing to give in, the Raiders responded with a brief run of their own to grab a 17-15 edge in the set, but Rietz continued his strong play, blocking kill for the Saints to tie the match at 18-18.

The two teams stood locked at 23-23 when Abram launched a powerful kill for the Saints, but a team error forced the match into win-by-two mode. The squads went back and forth looking for the edge to win the set. Eventually it was Rivier who would take the fourth set, 30-28.

The final set started out evenly with each squad grabbing two points right away. Todd gave the Saints life while on serve, helping stretch the edge to 7-5, but the Raiders fought right back to take an 8-7 lead as the teams switched sides.

After a point for the hosts, McKeen added back-to-back aces for the Saints to give them a 10-8 lead, but Rivier came back to tie it, 10-10 moments later. Abram then blasted a kill that Rivier could not control and Updike followed with an ace.

The Raiders fought back to make it 13-13 but Abram added a kill for the Saints and then, while on serve, forced the Raiders into hitting the ball out at the end to give the Saints a 15-13, final set victory.

Rivier's offense was led by Andreozzi and his 26 kills for the match, while Visentin added 45 assists to the score sheet. Junior Chris Convertito (Trumbull, Conn.) also notched 22 digs for the Raiders.

The Saints were led by Abram's 29 kills and Updike's 54 assists. Senior Jake DeLuise (Wakefield, R.I.) added 17 digs for Emmanuel while Updike also added four service aces for the hosts.

The Raiders will next host Lasell at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow. The Saints will take on Lancaster Bible College and the University of New Haven this weekend at MIT's Invitational Tournament. Games are at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., respectively.