BOSTON – Hosting the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals on Tuesday night, Emmanuel men's volleyball eliminated the Emerson Lions from postseason play, following a straight sets sweep (25-18, 25-21, 33-31) on Yosinoff Court
With the win, the Saints improve to 19-11 and have won eight of their last nine matches. The Lions fall out of postseason play, finishing the year at 9-17.
In the opening set, the Saints pushed out to an early lead, using a four-point cushion through much of the set to hold off the Lions. With a 17-15 advantage, the Saints closed the frame with eight of the final 11 points on the way to the 25-18 set win. Emmanuel combined for 15 team kills, hitting .379 from the floor as juniors
Trey Guest and
Michael Shelley finished with six kills and four kills, respectively, in the frame.
In the second, the Lions came out strong, claiming the first five points of the set. Emmanuel responded with four in a row and later erased the deficit, tying the set at 8-8. The sides continued to jockey for position, but Emmanuel used a scoring surge in the middle of the set to take a 23-17 lead. The Lions closed to within three, but Shelley capped the second set with a kill for a 25-21 set win.
The final set required extra points for the Saints to finish off the straight sets sweep as the visiting Lions fought to keep their season alive. Emerson had a chance to force a fourth set with two set points at the end of the frame, but Emmanuel battled back to a 24-24 tie. The Lions would have three more set points to force a fourth set but were unable to convert, while the Saints needed five attempts at match point before clinching a 33-31 win on a block by Guest and senior
Jyles Amirault.
Guest finished with a match-high 17 kills to go along with five service aces and a night of hitting .519 from the floor. Shelley added 15 kills, eight digs, and six assisted blocks in the win. Sophomore
Quincy Moore had a team-high 25 assists.
Lions junior
Theo Hackett finished with a team-best 14 kills to go with four digs. Junior
Chase Fagen and first-year
Cash Muse both added six kills while senior
Bryson Beck had a match-high 29 assists.
The Saints head into the GNAC Semifinals for a second straight year as they make the trip to the No. 20 Lasell Lasers on Thursday, April 10, for a 6:00 p.m. match. The Saints and Lasers split the regular season series with Emmanuel winning the most recent meeting on March 29 in five sets.
