THE BASICS 

Score: 
No. 5 Emerson 3 – No. 4 Emmanuel 0 (25-17, 27-25, 25-18)

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (19-14)
Emerson College Lions (13-14)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Jean Yawkey Center / Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023

THE LEAD – Four Lions players finished the night with at least seven kills, combining for part of a 38-team kill evening with a .286 hitting percentage, as the Emerson Lions advance to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Semifinals following a straight sets victory over the Emmanuel Saints on Tuesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The night's opening set was a battle for momentum while trying to shake off the nerves of the GNAC Quarterfinals. A set with a combined nine attack errors and eight service errors finally broke in Emerson's favor late in the set. A small run of 8-3 for the Lions gave them sufficient space to hold off Emmanuel, as the Lions spurt put them ahead 22-16. Four points later, a Saints attack error ended the set, in favor of the Lions, 25-17.
• The second set of the night was arguably the most impactful, setting the tone for the Lions straight sets sweep. After an early 6-2 Emerson lead, the Saints climbed back into the set with six of the next seven points. From that time, neither side would hold more than a two-point edge, all the way until the set-deciding points. Tied 25-25, an Emmanuel attack error, followed by a combo block for Lions junior Neiko Pittman (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and first-year Ben Dorsey (Maple Glen, Pa.) clinched the second set for Emerson, 27-25.
• In the third and final set, the Lions led wire-to-wire and despite the best efforts of the Saints, they could never overtake the lead set by Emerson. With a 15-14 lead, the Lions match-deciding points came in a rush, as Emerson finished the match on a 10-4 scoring spree, capped off by a kill for sophomore Jack Miessner (Phoenix, Ariz.), that sent the Lions into the GNAC Semifinals, thanks to a 25-18 set win, and 3-0 straight sets sweep.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Dorsey finished the night with a team-high nine kills while hitting .333 from the floor. Pittman added eight kills to go along with five digs and three assisted blocks.
• Miessner, along with junior Luke Roehm (Westport, Conn.), chipped in with seven kills each. Miessner was second on the Lions with seven digs.
• Sophomore Ramsis De Los Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) hit .714 on the evening, thanks to five kills on seven attempts.
• Saints sophomore Jyles Amirault (Andover, Mass.) led all players with 16 kills while hitting .182 from the floor.
• Senior Josh McDonald (Smithtown, N.Y.) had seven kills and four digs while first-year Trey Guest (Newington, Conn.) contributed six kills in the defeat.
• Senior Roman Fabrizio (Salem, N.H.) had a match-best 32 assists and a team-high eight digs.

UP NEXT

• The Lions advance into the GNAC Semifinal round and prepare to face the top-seed in the GNAC and 12th-ranked team in Division III in the Wentworth Leopards on Thursday, April 13, at 7:00 p.m.